Degradation of 4-Tert-Butylphenol in Water Using Mono-Doped (M1: Mo, W) and Co-Doped (M2-M1: Cu, Co, Zn) Titania Catalysts

Abstract

Mono-doped (Mo-TiO2 and W-TiO2) and co-doped TiO2 (Co-Mo-TiO2, Co-W-TiO2, Cu-Mo-TiO2, Cu-W-TiO2, Zn-Mo-TiO2, and Zn-W-TiO2) catalysts were synthesized by simple impregnation methods and tested for the photocatalytic degradation of 4-tert-butylphenol in water under UV (365 nm) light irradiation. The catalysts were characterized with various analytical methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Diffuse reflectance (DR) spectroscopies, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were applied to investigate the structure, optical properties, morphology, and elemental composition of the prepared catalysts. The XRD patterns revealed the presence of peaks corresponding to the WO3 in W-TiO2, Co-W-TiO2, Cu-W-TiO2, and Zn-W-TiO2. The co-doping of Cu and Mo to the TiO2 lattice was evidenced by the shift of XRD planes towards higher 2θ values, confirming the lattice distortion. Elemental mapping images confirmed the successful impregnation and uniform distribution of metal particles on the TiO2 surface. Compared to undoped TiO2, Mo-TiO2 and W-TiO2 exhibited a lower energy gap. Further incorporation of Mo-TiO2 with Co or Cu introduced slight changes in energy gap and light absorption characteristics, particularly visible light absorption. In addition, photoluminescence (PL) showed that Cu-Mo-TiO2 has a weaker PL intensity than undoped TiO2. Thus, Cu-Mo-TiO2 showed better catalytic activity than pure TiO2, achieving complete degradation of 4-tert-butylphenol under UV light irradiation after 60 min. The application of Cu-Mo-TiO2 under solar light conditions was also tested, and 70% of 4-tert-butylphenol degradation was achieved within 150 min.

TiO2/Zeolite Composites for SMX Degradation under UV Irradiation

“…Different catalysts have been investigated to degrade SMX under the use of light irradiation. Among them, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), which is a semiconductor photocatalyst, has a prominent place in photocatalysis [17], since it can decompose toxic organic pollutants in water by generating active species (•OH) with high oxidation potential. Even though TiO 2 possesses chemical stability [18], non-toxicity [19], and low cost [20], its application remains limited.…”

Synthesis of W-Doped TiO2 Material Ratio Using One-Step Solvothermal Method and Treatment Orientation of Volatile Organic Compounds

“…TiO2-based photocatalysts have been profoundly studied for their benefits such as nontoxicity, high catalytic activity, cost-saving, etc. [3][4][5]. TiO2 is a n-type semiconductor able to generate pairs of electrons and holes for photodegradation where oxygens and hydroxyls are the main oxidants [6,7].…”

Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue under Visible Light Using TiO2 Thin Films Impregnated with Porphyrin and Anderson-Type Polyoxometalates (Cu and Zn)

“…However, TiO 2 has a low quantum efficiency in charge-carrier generation, which affects its photocatalytic activity [9], thus the use of superficial and structural modifications to increase the time for charge recombination of the carriers has been studied [10]. Different strategies have been implemented to improve the photocatalytic properties of TiO 2 (e.g., semiconductor coupling, doping and natural and synthetic sensitization) [11][12][13][14]. Among alternative compounds to modify the TiO 2 surface, the polyoxometalates (POMs) are a type of material that has gained a lot of interest due to its photocatalytic applications as well as its role in the modification of TiO 2 [15,16].…”