SUNLIGHT-ACTIVE MESOPOROUS Zn-TiO2 QUASI-SPHERES FOR ENHANCED DECOLORIZATION OF DISTILLERY SPENT WASH
Sugarcane-based distillery spent wash is a notoriously challenging malodorous effluent, characterised by its acidicpH, intense dark brown colour, and high organic load. These features seriously harm the aquatic ecosystemandenvironmental sustainability. In this paper, Zn-TiO2 nanocatalysts with 1-5 wt.% Zn were synthesized by usingthehydrothermal method. A systematic study of the structural features, optical response and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 was conducted to evaluate the influence of Zn doping. Characterisation of the catalysts was carried out usingX-ray diffraction, FESEM, TEM, Raman analysis, UV–DRS, and BET techniques. Zn-doped TiO2 exhibitedaquasi-spherical morphology with particle size ranging from 10 to 25 nm. Doping results in a shift of Raman peakstoward lower wavenumbers and causes the band gap energy to decline from 3.03 eV to 2.8 eV. Photocatalyticperformance under solar light was investigated by monitoring decolourisation efficiency and the extent of CODandTOC reduction of the spent wash. Among all doped samples, the 3% Zn-TiO2 sample exhibits higher photocatalyticactivity (84%) compared to undoped TiO2 (64%) under the same conditions. These findings demonstrate thepotential of Zn–TiO2 as an efficient photocatalyst for sustainable wastewater treatment.
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