This work aims to develop simple and cost-effective methods in reduction of Cr(VI) from water to less toxic and easy separated Cr(III) using Titanium dioxide (TiO2).
TiO2 nanoparticles are prepared by a sol-gel method using titanium tetra-chloride and characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray Fluorescence spectrometer (EDX) and UV-visible spectroscopy. XRD shows Anatase structure of TiO2 after annealing at 600°C for four hours. The particles size is estimated to be 70 nm using SEM.UV-Visible spectroscopy indicated that TiO2 nanoparticles played important role in decreasing the concentration of Cr (VI) in water samples for different pH range of 1 to 4. The decrease in Cr(VI) concentration after the treatment is ascribed to the reduction caused by the photocatalyst effect that resulted from the presence of TiO2 nanoparticle in water samples under direct exposure to direct sunlight.