Characterization of methylene blue decomposition on Fe-ACF/TiO2 photocatalysts under UV irradiation with or without H2O2

Abstract

The photocatalysts of Fe-ACF/TiO2 compositeswere prepared by the sol-gel method and characterized by BET, XRD, SEM, and EDX. It showed that the BET surface area was related to adsorption capacity for each composite. The SEM results showed that ferric compound and titanium dioxide were distributed on the surfaces of ACF. The XRD results showed that Fe-ACF/TiO2 composite only contained an anatase structure with a Fe mediated compound. EDX results showed the presence of C, O, and Ti with Fe peaks in Fe-ACF/ TiO2 composites. From the photocataytic degradation effect, TiO2 on activated carbon fiber surface modified with Fe (Fe-ACF/TiO2) could work in the photo-Fenton process. It was revealed that the photo-Fenton reaction gives considerable photocatalytic ability for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) compared to non-treated ACF/TiO2, and the photo-Fenton reaction was improved by the addition of H2O2. It was proved that the decomposition of MB under UV (365 nm) irradiation in the presence of H2O2 predominantly accelerated the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ and produced a high concentration of OH· radicals.