Abstract

Removal of the contaminants/organic dye pollutants from wastewater provides a relevant global challenge. In this work the photodegradation of organic pollutants was aimed to realise by means of a very dangerous, toxic industrial waste, the red mud. Beside of the environmental aspect, the economic respect was also considered by recycling of an industrial waste and using visible region for photodegradation instead of generally applied ultraviolet light. The photocatalytic properties of Red Mud (RM) were tested in the solution of analytical indicators used as model agents (methylene blue, Congo red, and crystal violet) and real organic pollutants (cortisone and corticosterone). The mechanism of degradation effect (photocatalytic effect and/or adsorption) has been clarified. The degradation effect of RM was detected using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-VIS) and fluorescence spectroscopies. The connections between pollutants and red mud were investigated by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)

Keywords:Red mud; Recycling; Wastewater; Photocatalysis; Adsorption