Revista de nanomateriales y nanotecnología molecular

Application of TiO2- Zeolite Nano-Composite for Photodegradation of 4-Chlorophenol

Hossein Faghihian, Heibat Allah Raeiesi

Application of TiO₂- Zeolite Nano-Composite for Photodegradation of 4-Chlorophenol

In this research, nanoparticle of b-zeolite was synthesized by solgel method and titanium dioxide was prepared by hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide. To prepare TiO₂-zeolite nano-composite, the synthesized b-zeolite was mixed with requisite amount of TiO₂ dispersed in acetone. The mixture was thoroughly homogenized, dried at 110˚C and calcined at 400˚C. The nano composite was characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. Photocatalytical activity of the nano-composite for degradation of 4-chlorophenol was studied under UV irradiation. The influence of effective parameters including; pollutant initial concentration, amount of TiO₂, pH and irradiation time were studied and optimized. The results showed that the synthesized nanocomposite in terms of rate and degradation efficiency was better than bare TiO₂. The optimal degradation was obtained at pH=2.5 and initial concentration of 100 mg.L-1 and 10% TiO₂ loading. The photocatalyst was recyclable and retained its initial properties after four regeneration cycles.