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Gas‐phase photocatalytic oxidation of benzene over titanium dioxide loaded on Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2
Author(s) -
Junbo Zhong,
Weidong Jiang,
Bin Xu,
Xiyang He,
Jianzhang Li,
Yaoqiang Chen
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
environmental progress and sustainable energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.495
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1944-7450
pISSN - 1944-7442
DOI - 10.1002/ep.10342
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , benzene , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , titanium dioxide , materials science , decomposition , ultraviolet , photochemistry , nuclear chemistry , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , catalysis , chemistry , organic chemistry , metallurgy , optoelectronics , engineering
Increasing environmental pollution caused by the volatile organic compounds because of their toxicity is a matter of great concern; thus, it is crucial to develop processes that can destroy these compounds effectively. It has been found that the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 toward the decomposition of gaseous benzene in a batch reactor can be greatly enhanced by loading TiO 2 on the surface of Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 . In this work, we have investigated the loading amount of TiO 2 on Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 . This article reveals that the optimal loading amount of TiO 2 on Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 for the degradation of gaseous benzene is 1% (wt). The prepared photocatalyst was characterized by Brunauer‐Emmet Teller, X‐ray diffraction, UV–vis diffuse reflectance, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The deposited titania was well dispersed in the Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 matrix. TiO 2 /Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 absorbs much more ultraviolet light than TiO 2 in the ultraviolet light region. The binding energy values of Ti2p shift to lower value. TiO 2 /Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 demonstrates 1.5 times photocatalytic activity of that of pure TiO 2 . Based upon these observations, the mechanistic role of Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 in the photocatalytic oxidation reaction has been suggested. The suggested mechanism is electrons transfer, increase of the surface coverage of active oxygen species, and increase of the absorption from 210 to 400 nm of TiO 2 /Ce 0.67 Zr 0.33 O 2 . © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2009