Photocatalytic Degradation of Aromatic Pollutants in Aqueous Solution over TiO2 Catalyst

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of two organic aromatic compounds; benzene and toluene, as environmental decontamination by using TiO2 photocatalyst under UV irradiation was studied. It was noted that anatase TiO2 nanoparticles had crystalline structure and spherical particles morphology. The average size was about 20 nm with the specific surface area of 83 m2/g. The photocatalytic performance of these TiO2 catalysts was found that the percent removal depended on the dose of TiO2 and H2O2. The 3 wt% TiO2 displayed highest photominerizer since TiO2 particles generating electron-hole pairs both at the surface and within the TiO2 semiconductor itself and interacted with the organic molecules. The degradation of benzene and toluene increased along with increasing H2O2 due to the precence of H2O2 promotes the hydroxyl radicals. The photocatalyst removed 80% benzene and toluene within 60 min after UV irradiation more than the commercial P25 powder. In addition, the photocatalytic degradation of those compounds followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic.