Investigation of the oxidative decolorization of Acid Red 14 by peroxydisulfate with thermally activated and Ag(I) catalysis

The present study investigates the degradation of Acid Red 14 (AR 14), commonly used as a textile dye, in aqueous medium through the process of thermally activated oxidation by peroxydisulfate under a set of variables (concentration of S2O2– 8, AR 14, Ag+ and temperature). Degradation efficiency was small when the oxidation was carried out in the absence of heat. Increasing the temperature from 20 to 70 °C accelerated the oxidation rate of AR 14, which achieved complete oxidation in 10 min. Also results showed that removal of dye increased with increasing Ag+, peroxydisulfate initial concentration, pH and dye initial concentration decreasing. Our results suggest that the oxidative treatment of AR 14 by peroxydisulfate activated with heat is a viable option for removal of the textile dyes from effluents.