Fabrication of NiTiO3 Electrocatalyst to Removal of Azo Dye Using Anodic Oxidation Process

In this research, NiTiO3 electrocatalyst was prepared by sol-gel method and coated on graphite surface by electrophoretic method. Several analyzes were performed in order to investigate the microscopic morphology and structural characteristics of NiTiO3. The NiTiO3 particles were obtained in spherical form and in nano size. In addition, the cyclic voltammetry results demonstrated that the NiTiO3/G electrode exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity when compared to the G electrode. The oxidation potential of the NiTiO3/G electrode, 0.3 mV, indicated improved involvement in the anodic oxidation reaction. Conversely, the impedance results revealed a decreased charge transfer resistance for the NiTiO3/G electrode in comparison to the G electrode, thereby accelerating the degradation process. The prepared electrocatalyst was used to remove reactive black 5 (RB5) pollutant from aqueous solution by anodic oxidation process. For this purpose, the reaction reactor with NiTiO3/G anode electrode and graphite cathode electrode was used. The effect of current, initial pH, initial concentration of RB5 and process time on the removal efficiency of RB5 was investigated and the response surface method was used to optimize the anodic oxidation process. The results showed that the maximum removal efficiency of RB5 was observed in applied current, pH, initial concentration of RB5 and process time of, 500 mA, 6, 20 mg/L and 200 minutes, respectively. Based on this, such a method can be used to remove RB5 from polluted water.