A new approach for the elimination of Rhodamine B dye using a combination of activated persulfate and dithionite in the presence of magnetic fields

Considering the water shortage crisis, removing dye from textile wastewater is crucial to protect health and the environment. Recycling this water is vital for sustainable resource management. In the present study, the efficiency of degradation and mineralization of rhodamine B from textile industry wastewater using activated dithionite and persulfate with the aid of a magnetic field was investigated. Various parameters such as pH (3–10), Persulfate+ dithionite concentration (5–20 mg/L), magnetic field intensity (1–4 A), initial rhodamine B concentration (10–100 mg/L), and contact time (15–120 min) were evaluated on a laboratory scale. The optimal conditions were determined by the Taguchi model, which were pH=7, persulfate concentration of 20 mg/L, magnetic field intensity of 4 A, reaction time of 90 min, and initial rhodamine B concentration of 50 mg/L. The rhodamine B removal efficiency and TOC destruction efficiency were obtained as 15.90 % and 90 %, respectively. The kinetics of the process followed a pseudo-second-order model (R² = 0.9983). The results of this study show that increasing the magnetic field intensity resulted in a 36.6 % improvement in efficiency. The findings of this study are promising and justify the potential application of this process in the textile and dyeing industries. Therefore, economic feasibility and cost-benefit analysis are required, taking into account any limitations related to wastewater treatment.