Open AccessEnhanced Photocatalytic Fuel Denitrification over TiO2/α-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites under Visible Light Irradiation
Author(s) -
Renkun Huang,
Ruowen Liang,
Hong-Tao Fan,
ShaoMing Ying,
Ling Wu,
Xuxu Wang,
Guiyang Yan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-08439-3
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , irradiation , nanocomposite , denitrification , visible spectrum , chemical engineering , photochemistry , materials science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , catalysis , nitrogen , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , nuclear physics , engineering
With increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the removal of nitrogen-containing compounds (NCCs) from gasoline fuel has become a more and more important research subject. In this work, we have successfully synthesized TiO 2 /α-Fe 2 O 3 heterogeneous photocatalysts with different mass ratios of TiO 2 vs . α-Fe 2 O 3 . Taking photocatalytic denitrification of typical alkali NCCs, pyridine, in gasoline fuel under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) as the model reaction, the TiO 2 /α-Fe 2 O 3 hybrids have exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with pure TiO 2 and α-Fe 2 O 3 , giving a pyridine removal ratio of ∼100% after irradiation for 240 min. The improved photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the integrative effect of the enhanced light absorption intensity and more efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Importantly, this type of heterogeneous photocatalysts can be easily separate in the reaction medium by an external magnetic field that is very important for industrial purpose. In addition, major reaction intermediates have been identified by the liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS) and a tentative photocatalytic denitrification mechanism has been proposed.