Degradation of the Synthetic Food Dye Red 40 Through Ozone Treatment

Red 40 is a synthetic dye that is now present almost everywhere in our man-made world. Synthetic dyes—in our furniture, snacks, drinks, cosmetics—are cheap and easily available, providing vibrant colors. However, this increased use of dyes increased the amount seeping into bodies of water, contaminating natural systems through the wastewater produced through industrial methods. In order to solve this problem, we utilized the purification property of O3, or also known as ozone, to break the azo bond (R-N=N-R), making the dye completely lose their color. We hypothesized that the ozone will oxidize the nitrogen bonds, breaking the bonds, making the solution turn from a vibrant red color to a transparent solution to the naked eye. Red 40 solutes were bought and made into a solution. We also got an ozone tube and stone filter, which was connected to the solution. We found the Red 40 solution, after around sixty minutes of ozone treatment and exposure, the solution became clear and transparent. We concluded that this won’t aid in the contamination aspect, as that will most likely call for a more intensive treatment, but it would aid the inhabiting species of the contaminated water bodies and balancing the relationship in the biome.