Synthesis, Characterization, and Comparison of Sol–Gel TiO2 Immobilized Photocatalysts
-
Clara Duca
,
Gustavo E. Imoberdorf
Abstract
This study was focused on the synthesis of titania-based photocatalytic coatings with high photocatalytic activity, attrition resistance, and stability. Five different photocatalytic coatings were synthesized using the sol–gel technique. Three coatings were prepared using aqueous sols of TiO2 nanoparticles with different amounts of titanium tetraisopropoxide and different quantities and types of acids. The other two photocatalysts were composite sol–gel coatings which were prepared by incorporating commercial Degussa P25 into the TiO2 synthesized through sol–gel technique. The physical and optical properties of the immobilized photocatalysts were characterized with UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and light scattering. The photocatalytic activity of each coating was determined using a lab-scale differential photoreactor by measuring the degradation rate of a model micropollutant, the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The conversions of 2,4-D obtained with the TiO2 coatings without Degussa P25 were in the order of 7–23%, whereas the two composite coatings provided conversions in the range of 66–69%. In addition, one of the composite coatings showed a more homogeneous morphology and less cracking, and for this reason, it was more durable and showed lower attrition.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to RES’EAU-WaterNET Strategic Network and to Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for their financial support.
References
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©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin / Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Masthead
- Editorial
- In Honor of Alberto E. Cassano: Researcher, Engineer, and Academic
- Articles
- From Ideal Reactor Concepts to Reality: The Novel Drum Reactor for Photocatalytic Wastewater Treatment
- Synthesis, Characterization, and Comparison of Sol–Gel TiO2 Immobilized Photocatalysts
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- Mass Transfer and Conservation from a Finite Source to an Infinite Media
- Modelling and Simulation of Gas–liquid Hydrodynamics in a Rectangular Air-lift Reactor
- Two-Dimensional Modeling of an Externally Irradiated Slurry Photoreactor
- Role of Aspect Ratio and Joule Heating within the Fluid Region Near a Cylindrical Electrode in Electrokinetic Remediation: A Numerical Solution based on the Boundary Layer Model
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- A Simple and Semi-Empirical Model to Predict THMs Generation in Water Facilities Including pH Effects
- On the Standardization of the Photocatalytic Gas/Solid Tests
- Microalgae Technology: A Patent Survey
- Influence of Physical and Optical Parameters on 2,4-Dichlorophenol Degradation
- Factors Capable of Modifying the Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the Inactivation Induced by Heterogeneous Photocatalysis
- Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of CeO2 Nanoparticles by Surfactants
- Determination of Photochemical, Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Efficiencies in a Photoelectrocatalytic Reactor
- Correlations between Molecular Descriptors from Various Volatile Organic Compounds and Photocatalytic Oxidation Kinetic Constants
- Role of Joule Heating in Electro-Assisted Processes: A Boundary Layer Approach for Rectangular Electrodes
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Masthead
- Editorial
- In Honor of Alberto E. Cassano: Researcher, Engineer, and Academic
- Articles
- From Ideal Reactor Concepts to Reality: The Novel Drum Reactor for Photocatalytic Wastewater Treatment
- Synthesis, Characterization, and Comparison of Sol–Gel TiO2 Immobilized Photocatalysts
- Determination of Kinetic Parameter in a Unified Kinetic Model for the Photodegradation of Phenol by Using Nonlinear Regression and the Genetic Algorithm
- Mass Transfer and Conservation from a Finite Source to an Infinite Media
- Modelling and Simulation of Gas–liquid Hydrodynamics in a Rectangular Air-lift Reactor
- Two-Dimensional Modeling of an Externally Irradiated Slurry Photoreactor
- Role of Aspect Ratio and Joule Heating within the Fluid Region Near a Cylindrical Electrode in Electrokinetic Remediation: A Numerical Solution based on the Boundary Layer Model
- Solar Water Disinfection Using NF-codoped TiO2 Photocatalysis: Estimation of Scaling-up Parameters
- A Simple and Semi-Empirical Model to Predict THMs Generation in Water Facilities Including pH Effects
- On the Standardization of the Photocatalytic Gas/Solid Tests
- Microalgae Technology: A Patent Survey
- Influence of Physical and Optical Parameters on 2,4-Dichlorophenol Degradation
- Factors Capable of Modifying the Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the Inactivation Induced by Heterogeneous Photocatalysis
- Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of CeO2 Nanoparticles by Surfactants
- Determination of Photochemical, Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Efficiencies in a Photoelectrocatalytic Reactor
- Correlations between Molecular Descriptors from Various Volatile Organic Compounds and Photocatalytic Oxidation Kinetic Constants
- Role of Joule Heating in Electro-Assisted Processes: A Boundary Layer Approach for Rectangular Electrodes
