2024, Volume 70(74), Issue 1 (January), pp. 35 - 46

Visible-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Tartrazine Using ZnO Nanoparticles: Preliminary Phytotoxicity Investigations on Treated Solutions

MARIA PAIU, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania
LIDIA FAVIER, Univ Rennes, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, CNRS, ISCR – UMR6226, Rennes, France DOINA LUTIC, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University from Iași, Faculty of Chemistry, Iași, Romania
RALUCA-MARIA HLIHOR, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iași University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture, Department of Horticultural Technologies, Iași, Romania
MARIA GAVRILESCU, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania, Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest, Romania, mgav@tuiasi.ro

pages 35 - 46   Download
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11145259
Abstract
Effluents containing synthetic dyes are often discharged untreated, contributing to widespread contamination and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), particularly photocatalysis, offer promising alternative solutions to address this issue. This study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of tartrazine (TZ) using elaborated zinc oxide. The toxicity of the transformation products generated during this process was also examined. Preliminary phytotoxicity tests using Lepidium sativum L. seeds revealed significant growth of vegetative organs in untreated solutions. Similar values to the control sample were observed in photocatalytically treated solutions, possibly due to the conversion of toxic intermediates into less harmful by-products. The successful elimination of TZ under visible-light irradiation conditions confirms the potential of ZnO-based photocatalysis as a viable solution for mitigating water pollution caused by food dye contaminants.
Keywords: degradation, food dyes, Lepidium sativum, photocatalysis, phytotoxicity.