Removal of dyes from water using a TiO2 photocatalyst supported on black sand

A TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by depositing silica and titanium dioxide on the surface of black sand that made the photocatalyst recoverable using a magnetic field. The magnetic photocatalyst was used to remove six aqueous dyes from water and the removal was attributed to both adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation. Removal by adsorption was more noticeable with the cationic dyes than with the anionic dyes. The difference was related to the electrostatic interaction between the charged dye molecular and the silica-occupied surface of the photocatalyst. Removal by photocatalytic oxidation occurred with anionic dyes, while it was not appreciable with cationic dyes. It was postulated that photocatalytic oxidation might have happened with cationic dyes as well, but the strong adsorption made the photocatalytic oxidation undetectable.