(337e) Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Malachite Green By Visible Light Sensitive ZnO/ZrO2 Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles
AIChE Annual Meeting
2013
2013 AIChE Annual Meeting
Environmental Division
Advanced Oxidation Processes II
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 4:43pm to 5:05pm
The large energy band gap of TiO2 permits activation only in the UV portion of the solar radiation. To obtain visible light sensitive material ZnO/ZrO2 doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method using Pluronic 123 surfactant. The structure and surface morphology of the photocatalyst was studied using X-ray diffraction, HRTEM, BET and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Photodegradation rates of malachite green (MG) in solar radiation using the ZnO/ZrO2/TiO2 and P-25 TiO2 were compared. Effect of pH, catalyst load and dye concentration on the photoconversion efficiency were determined. The degradation products were identified by GC-MS. The toxicity of the degradation products were tested using E.coli.