Degradación Fotocatalítica de Contaminantes Orgánicos Presentes en Agua Residual de la Industria Litográfica mediante Oxido de Bismuto(III)/Oxido de Titanio (Bi2O3/TiO2)

Abstract

Coupled semiconductors of Bi2O3/TiO2 were synthetized by wet impregnation. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated upon the removal of organic pollutants presents in lithographic wastewater under UV-vis radiation. Catalyst were characterized by X ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Response surface methodology was employed with two factors in three to evaluate the combined effect of the ratio Bi2O3/TiO2 and the initial pH of the solution. The responses evaluated were the removal percentages of total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand. The results showed that Bi2O3/TiO2 composites have smaller crystal size, higher thermal stability and a higher absorption in the visible range than pure TiO2.