Degradation of acid red 14 by silver ion-catalyzed peroxydisulfate oxidation in an aqueous solution

Silver ion (Ag1+)-catalyzed peroxydisulfate was studied for the degradation of acid red 14 (AR-14) in an aqueous medium. The effect of different parameters, such as temperature, peroxydisulfate concentration, and dye and Ag1+ concentrations, were investigated. Application of Ag1+-catalyzed peroxydisulfate, as an advanced oxidation process, introduces an effectual method for wastewater treatment. An accelerated reaction using S2O82- to destroy dyes can be achieved via chemical activation with Ag1+ to generate sulfate radicals (SO4-). Degradation efficiency was not considerable when using peroxydisulfate alone. Studies revealed that increases in temperature and in the initial concentrations of peroxydisulfate and Ag1+ up to 80 mM and 10 mM, respectively, enhanced dye degradation, while a decrease in the initial dye concentration would also enhance the efficiency of its degradation.