Innovative and Sustainable Material TiO₂-Pillared Clay Composite for Superior Adsorption-Photocatalyst Degradation of Methylene Blue

An innovative and sustainable adsorption-photocatalyst material based on natural clay with a TiO₂ composite was prepared for the treatment of organic dye waste. This study investigates the preparation of TiO₂-pillared clay composite, aiming to determine its characteristics and effectiveness in the adsorption of the organic dye Methylene Blue (MB). The composite was prepared using a thermal method applied to clay and TiO₂ P25, resulting in TiO₂-pillared clay. The material was characterized using XRF, FTIR, XRD, and SEM techniques. Additionally, the adsorption efficiency of MB compounds was evaluated using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results revealed that TiO₂ successfully integrated with the clay surface, forming pillars within the clay lattice. XRF and XRD analyses indicated an increase in the crystallinity of quartz due to the presence of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ in the clay material, while TiO₂ exhibited photoactive anatase crystals. For the treatment of the organic pollutant MB, the experiments identified the optimum adsorption-photocatalyst conditions as pH 6, 120 min, and an MB concentration of 25 mg/L when using the TiO₂-pillared clay composite. Furthermore, mass variability tests demonstrated that 0.5 grams of the TiO₂-pillared clay composite achieved high adsorption-photocatalyst efficiency in reducing MB organic dye. Finally, the evaluation of MB removal using various methods, including photolysis, adsorption, photocatalysis, and adsorption-photocatalysis, showed that the adsorption-photocatalysis method achieved a high performance, removing more than 70.71% of MB organic pollutants. Based on these findings, the dual-functional TiO₂-pillared clay exhibits significant adsorption-photocatalyst capabilities for the reduction of organic dye pollution.