Reactive Blue 19 (RB19) is a widely used anthraquinone dye in the textile industry, known for its intense color and high chemical stability. Like many synthetic dyes, RB19 is environmentally persistent and often ends up in the aquatic environment through untreated or partially treated industrial effluents. Textile dyes can cause severe environmental damage, including eutrophication and reduced photosynthesis in aquatic systems.
This study investigates the degradation of RB19 using two Sulfate Radical-based Advanced Oxidation Processes (SR-AOPs): UV-C/Persulfate (PS) and UV-C/Peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The experiments were conducted in simulated textile wastewater, and various oxidant concentrations were tested. Both processes demonstrated high degradation efficiency, reaching up to 88% removal of RB19 within 120 minutes at the highest oxidant concentration. The degradation kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model in all cases. The efficiency was attributed to the in situ generation of highly reactive sulfate (SO4•-) and hydroxyl (HO•) radicals, upon photolytic activation of the oxidants under UV-C irradiation.
The results confirm that both UV-C/PS and UV-C/PMS processes are highly effective in degrading RB19, offering rapid pollutant removal and operational flexibility across a range of oxidant dosages. These findings position SR-AOPs as viable technologies for efficient degradation of recalcitrant organic dyes from textile wastewater.
