Kaba, İbrahimBozkurt, Rabia NurKılıç, Behris2025-09-112025-09-112025Kaba, İ., Bozkurt, R. N., & Kılıç, B. (2025). Investigation of photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange using zinc oxide-supported chitosan hydrogel beads. Chemical Engineering Communications, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00986445.2025.25561340098-64451563-5201https://doi.org/10.1080/00986445.2025.2556134https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13055/1107In this study, chitosan-based ZnO supported hydrogels (CZ–H) were synthesized to evaluatetheir photocatalytic degradation performance against methyl orange (MO) dye. The compos-ite hydrogels were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), UV–Vis DRS, ScanningElectron Microscopy (SEM-EDS), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Fourier TransformInfrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). These characterization results confirmed the successful forma-tion of the CZ–H composite structure. The band gap of the composite was approximately2.77 eV, supporting enhanced photocatalytic activity. Photocatalytic experiments showedthat CZ–H removed 74% of MO within 60 min, compared to 42% for pure chitosan beads,with reaction rate constants of 0.0237 min−1 and 0.0113 min−1, respectively. Moreover, theCZ–H beads demonstrated good reusability with minimal loss in efficiency over multiplecycles. These findings highlight the potential of CZ–H as a stable, effective, and reusablephotocatalyst for the efficient removal of dyes from wastewater.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessChitosanMethyl OrangePhotocatalytic DegradationZinc OxideArticle10.1080/00986445.2025.2556134118Q3Q2