Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-D and 2,4-DP herbicides on Pt/TiO2 nanoparticles

Titanium dioxide was synthesized by the sol-gel method and platinum supported on titanium dioxide were prepared by a wet impregnation chemical process at different platinum contents. The prepared samples were dried over night at 110 degrees C and then calcined at 500 degrees C for 4 h. Structural and morphological characterization has been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TGA), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurement (BET) and transmission electron microscopy coupled to the energy dispersive spectroscopy (TEM/EDX). The adsorption performance and photocatalytic activity of the samples were investigated using two chlorophenoxy herbicides: 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) propionic acid (2,4-DP) as models of organic pollutants in water. The obtained results show that Pt/TiO2 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than TiO2 particles for the degradation of the two selected herbicides. The photocatalytic activity increases by increasing the platinum yield in the catalyst. (C) 2015 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.