Presenter(s)
Mikayla Ertz, Henry Gramann, Connor Lehner, and Bonnie Ni
Abstract
This study investigated the photodegradation of methyl red, an azo dye commonly used as a pH indicator and a known environmental pollutant, using synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Methyl red is resistant to degradation from simple environmental conditions such as heat and light. The goal of this project was to determine whether Fe3O4 nanoparticles could act as an effective catalyst for dye degradation under UV light and to analyze the reaction kinetics using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized, then confirmed to be magnetic and further characterized using IR spectroscopy. Photodegradation experiments were conducted by exposing 50 ppm methyl red solutions, both with and without nanoparticles, to UV light for 75 minutes. Absorbance measurements were taken every 15 minutes to monitor changes in dye concentration. Control samples without nanoparticles showed little to no change in absorbance over time, while samples containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles showed a gradual decrease in absorbance, indicating dye degradation. Although degradation was observed, the change in absorbance was relatively small over the experimental timeframe with a 5.7% total degradation. This suggests that reaction conditions such as nanoparticle concentration, pH, or exposure time may not have been fully optimized. Despite these limitations, the results support the potential role of Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a photocatalyst for azo dye degradation. Overall, the results suggest that Fe3O4 nanoparticles can contribute to dye degradation under UV light and may have potential applications in treatment of methyl red. The rate constant (k) was determined to be 0 min-1 for the control and 0.0007 min-1 with the nanoparticles in the dye. Future experiments could improve this work by testing a wider range of reaction conditions, increasing exposure time, and comparing different nanoparticle amounts to determine which factors give the greatest dye removal.
College
College of Science & Engineering
Department
Chemistry
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
Jennifer Zemke
Location
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
Start Date
4-23-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-23-2026 11:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1b=10am-11am
Poster Number
48
Photocatalysis of Methyl Red Using Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Kryzsko Great River Ballroom, Winona, Minnesota; United States
This study investigated the photodegradation of methyl red, an azo dye commonly used as a pH indicator and a known environmental pollutant, using synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Methyl red is resistant to degradation from simple environmental conditions such as heat and light. The goal of this project was to determine whether Fe3O4 nanoparticles could act as an effective catalyst for dye degradation under UV light and to analyze the reaction kinetics using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized, then confirmed to be magnetic and further characterized using IR spectroscopy. Photodegradation experiments were conducted by exposing 50 ppm methyl red solutions, both with and without nanoparticles, to UV light for 75 minutes. Absorbance measurements were taken every 15 minutes to monitor changes in dye concentration. Control samples without nanoparticles showed little to no change in absorbance over time, while samples containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles showed a gradual decrease in absorbance, indicating dye degradation. Although degradation was observed, the change in absorbance was relatively small over the experimental timeframe with a 5.7% total degradation. This suggests that reaction conditions such as nanoparticle concentration, pH, or exposure time may not have been fully optimized. Despite these limitations, the results support the potential role of Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a photocatalyst for azo dye degradation. Overall, the results suggest that Fe3O4 nanoparticles can contribute to dye degradation under UV light and may have potential applications in treatment of methyl red. The rate constant (k) was determined to be 0 min-1 for the control and 0.0007 min-1 with the nanoparticles in the dye. Future experiments could improve this work by testing a wider range of reaction conditions, increasing exposure time, and comparing different nanoparticle amounts to determine which factors give the greatest dye removal.
Comments
Ertz, Mikayla A; Ni, Bonnie; Gramann, Henry S; Lehner, Connor J