Enhanced Photocatalytic Remediation Using Graphene (G)-Titanium Oxide (TiO 2) Nanocomposite Material in Visible Light Radiation

Abstract

The petroleum compounds were photocatalytically remediated from water using graphene (G)-titanium oxide (TiO2) nanocomposite material in visible light radiation. The G-TiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized using sol-gel technique, and its structural & morphological properties were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle analyzer and UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) measurement techniques. Various petroleum-based chemicals (toluene, naphthalene and diesel) were remediated, and samples were analyzed using optical and gas chromatography (GC) techniques. The mechanism of photocatalytic remediation of petroleum compounds using G-TiO2 nanomaterials is understood and well compared with data available in literature.