Application of a Chemometric Method to Interpret Spectrophotometric Data Obtained for Degradation of an Organic Dye in Water Using Manganese Oxide

Birnessite type manganese oxide (δ-MnO2) was synthesized for use in degradation of the cationic dye methylene blue in aqueous solution. The material was characterized using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area calculations. The removal of the dye from aqueous solutions was evaluated considering the effects of the following variables: pH, manganese oxide concentration, contact time, and temperature. UV-Vis spectroscopy analyses indicated achievement of 99 and 95% removal of methylene blue (7 mg L-1) at pH 2.0 and 4.0, respectively, after 120 m...