Co-precipitation synthesis of ZnO-TiO2 nanostructure composites for arsenic photodegradation from industrial wastewater

In present work, controlled TiO2-ZnO ratio nanostructure composite powders synthesized via co-precipitation method from zinc acetate and titanium tetrachloride as starting materials were obtained. Samples with different Ti/Zn precursor ratios were prepared for the study. Photocatalytic activities of the particles were evaluated under UV and visible light sources, using both arsenic-laced solution and industrial copper smelting wastewater. Results generally show that nanopowder composites are formed. Samples with Ti/Zn precursor ratio of 90:10 and 50:50 showed considerable photocatalytic activities leading to up to 90% arsenic degradation under UV and visible light irradiation; however, compared experientially made a solution in the laboratory, the industrial wastewaters resulted in less arsenic photodegradation.