Photocatalytic degradation of phenolic compound (Phenol, resorcinol and cresol) by titanium dioxide photocatalyst on ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) support under UV irradiation

Abstract

The photocatalytic degradation of phenolic compounds (phenol, m-cresol and resorcinol) was investigated by the TiO 2 nanoparticles on ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) support, as a nanocatalyst. CMK-3 and TiO 2 /CMK-3 were synthesized using SBA-15 as a hard template and their properties were determined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and N 2 adsorption–desorption. The results showed that CMK-3 was well synthesized and TiO 2 was properly incorporated into CMK-3. The effect of different parameters such as pH, catalyst concentration, phenolic compound concentration and irradiation time on TiO 2 /CMK-3 catalytic activity was investigated. The results showed that photocatalytic degradation of phenolic compounds was strongly influenced by these factors and the optimum conditions for removing the contaminants were pH = 6, TiO 2 /CMK-3 concentration of 0.15 g/L, phenolic compound concentration of 100 mg/L and irradiation time of 150 min. Under optimum conditions, the total organic carbon removal efficiency for phenol, m-cresol and resorcinol was observed to be 74%, 62%, and 78%, respectively. The highest photo-degradation efficiency was obtained at the slightly acidic and near to neutral pH values compared with the alkaline and acidic range. The stability and reusability of TiO 2 /CMK-3 nanocatalyst were observed to be more than five times which it reveals that the TiO 2 /CMK-3 can be considered as a promising catalyst for the long-term degradation of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions.