Background and purpose: Dyes from textile industry are amongst the major pollutants of the environment that are harmful for both human health and the environment. Azo dyes constitute the largest and the most important class of commercial dyes, accounting for 50% of all commercial dyes. This study investigated the efficacy of Cr-doped ZnO nanoparticles in removal of reactive black 5 (RB5) dye from aquatic solutions in presence of solar radiation.

Materials and methods: An experimental laboratory study was done by designing the surface-answer test. Cr-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for characterization of the nanoparticles prepared. Effects of parameters such as pH, nanoparticle dosage, initial RB5 concentration, and contact time on the removal efficiency of RB5 were studied. The remaining concentration of RB5 was analyzed by UV/VIS spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 597 nm. Finally, the statistical analysis of the model was conducted by ANOVA.

Results: Results showed that removal efficiency increased by increasing nanoparticle dosage and contact time. Also, we found that removal efficiency decreased by increasing the initial dye concentration and pH. The optimum condition for dye removal was obtained at pH 4, nanoparticle dosage of 1.75 g/L, initial dye content of 112.5 mg/L, and 75 min contact time. In this condition the efficiency removal and desirability were 75.41 and of 0.905, respectively.

Conclusion: Removal of textile dyes was found to be quick and effective when using Cr-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Also, designing and performing the experiment (in low frequency) can help in optimizing the efficiency removal of pollutant from aqueous media.