Nanostructured-[CeO2, La2O3, C]/TiO2 Catalysts for Lignin Photodegradation

The present paper is focused on the photodegradation study of lignin, dissolved in a water medium under three catalytic systems: CeO2 nanotubes/TiO2, La2O3 nanotubes/TiO2 and C nanotubes/TiO2. Photocatalytic reactions were conducted in a micro reactor batch system under UV irradiation. CeO2, La2O3 and TiO2 were synthesized by means of the sol-gel method followed by post hydrothermal synthesis of CeO2 and La2O3 to obtain the nanotubular structures, while C nanotubes were from Alfa Aesar. The catalysts were analyzed by means of XRD, SEM, BET, EDS, TEM. In order to optimize the yield reaction it was performed one experimental design. According to the results nanostructured CeO2, La2O3, C enhances the catalytic activity of TiO2, reaching in some cases degradation near to 60% in 25 minutes.