International Journal of Environmental Chemistry 2018; 2(1): 10-17 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijec doi: 10.11648/j.ijec.20180201.13 Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminium Oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) Nanoparticles and its Application in Azodye Decolourisation Vijaya Pandurang Dhawale 1, * , VaideiBalraj Khobragade 2 , Satish Damodar Kulkarni 2 1 Post Graduate Department of Physics, New Arts Commerce and Science College, Parner, Ahmednagar, India 2 Post Graduate Department of Environmental Science, New Arts Commerce and Science College, Ahmednagar, India Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Vijaya Pandurang Dhawale, Vaidei Balraj Khobragade, Satish Damodar Kulkarni. Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminium Oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) Nanoparticles and its Application in Azodye Decolourisation. International Journal of Environmental Chemistry. Vol. 2, No. 1, 2018, pp. 10-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ijec.20180201.13 Received: March 29, 2018; Accepted: May 4, 2018; Published: May 30, 2018 Abstract: The adsorption behaviour of an azodye Methylene Blue (MB) over aluminum oxide nano particles (AONP) generated by sol-gel method has been studied to investigate the physicochemical process involved andexplore the potential use of AONP in wastewater treatment. The variables incorporated in the present study are concentration of dye, dosage of adsorbentand contact time. The characterizations of AONPs were carried out using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX) and Raman spectroscopy. SEM image showed the distribution pattern of nanoparticles. FTIR spectra revealed thatfunctional groups (O-Al-O) are present. Raman spectra showed the crystalline nature of nanoparticles. Averagesize of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle from XRD peak was found to be 25 nm having rhombohedral structure. Chemical composition of AONPs was confirmed from EDAXspectroscopy measurement. The smaller dosage of AONP was tested for the photocatalytic degradation. Keywords: Colour Pigment, Adsorbent, Adsorption, Decolourisation, Sol-gel Method 1. Introduction In recent years, the use of nanotechnology has gained significant attention in environmental applications for wastewater treatment [1]. Nanoparticles in water treatment have been effectively utilized due to their unique characteristics such ashigh surface area to volume ratio, small size, availability of large number of reactive sites, and high capacity for regeneration [2]. The current water pollution problems, including water quality, canbeimproved using nanoadsorbents, nanocatalysts, nanostructured catalyticmembranes, and many other products and processes resulting fromthe advancement of nanotechnology [3]. During the last few years alargenumber of nanomaterials have been synthesized and used as adsorbentstoremovethe pollutants from the wastewater [4]. Inorganic nanomaterials such as iron and aluiminiumbasednanoadsorbents were firstly investigated which may be due to low manufacturing cost and high decontamination efficiency [5-9]. AONP is one of the mostimportant and extensively used ceramic materials as adsorbent for water and wastewater treatment, catalystsor catalyst supports for chemical reactions, electrical insulators, structural composites for spacecraft, abrasive, thermal wear coatings and membrane applications [10-13]. Aluminium oxide nanoparticle is reported to exist in several phases [14]. It is well knownfactthat presence of dyes in wastewater is the most undesirable. Dyes are water soluble in nature and most suited in their action in aqueous medium. Nowadays industrialwastewateris the major environmental problem. Many industries like plastics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather, cosmetics, paints and varnishes etc. make use of dyes to colour their final products. Subsequently, the wastewater effluents generated from these industries are highly coloured and its disposal in water bodies causes damage to aquatic flora and fauna. These dyes reduce penetration of sunlight which affectthephotosynthetic activities of aquatic flora. Number of dyes are xenobiotic and non-biodegradable in