Photocatalytic degradation of Acid Red 1 dye using ZnO catalyst in the presence and absence of silver

++ deposited on ZnO particles and catalysts loading on the photocatalytic degradation rate of AR1 dye were evaluated. The surface morphologies of both Ag-doped ZnO and ZnO catalysts were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to study the crystallography of the catalysts. The experimental results revealed that the presence of photocatalyst, light, and air are signifi cant for the photodegradation process. The optimum catalyst loading was 2 g catalyst per liter solution. The presence of Ag + in the catalyst does not signifi cantly enhance the photocatalytic activity of ZnO in the degradation process.