Abstract:
Enhanced degradation of organic dye was achieved using two different kinds of waste materials:
waste tire granules and spent sealed radioactive sources. Waste tire granules were used as raw
material for the production of waste tire char (WTC), which was further utilized as an adsorbent
matrix for synergetic adsorption/irradiation degradation of organic dye. The spent radioactive
sources were radiographic sealed sources that originate from the industry which generate the
high energy radiation. Methylene Blue (MB) was used as an organic model compound.
Synthesized WTC has turbostratic structure, irregular shaped particles and developed
mesoporous surface. Complete degradation of 0.02 dm3
of 100 mg dm−3 MB solution, having
WTC dose of 1.25 g dm−3
, was achieved with delivered doze of only 60 Gy. The applied doses
were 100 times smaller than those presented in the literature. Degradation pathway was
determined: OH radicals that originate from radiolysis of water and from the surface of WTC
played the crucial role in the radiocatalytic degradation of MB. Breakage of the aromatic ring of
MB appeared by the scission of the double C‒S+˭C bond as a result of the attack of OH species
on adsorbed and electronically reorganized MB molecule.
