Enhancement of TiO2 behavior on photocatalytic oxidation of MO dye using TiO2/AC under visible irradiation and sunlight radiation

The activated carbon loaded TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared and characterized by FT-IR, scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic efficiency of activated carbon loaded TiO2 was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of Methyl Orange (MO) dye in aqueous medium using visible and solar light. TiO2/AC exhibited higher photocatalytic oxidation efficiency of MO than that of naked TiO2. The various experimental parameters like initial dye concentration, amount of catalyst and solution pH for efficient dye degradation are investigated. Activity measurements performed under visible light and solar irradiation have shown good results for the photo degradation of MO in aqueous solution. The higher efficiency of TiO2/AC is due to synergy effect of activated carbon. Addition of high adsorption capacity activated carbon to photoactive titanium dioxide in photocatalytic degradation of dyes improves the efficiency of dye mineralization. The present catalysts show high adsorptivity and high photoactivity for the degradation of the MO dye and can be very easily separated from the solution by sedimentation or simple filtration and it can be used repeatedly for MO removal with preservation of its photoactivity. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.