HETEROGENEOUS PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION OF HAZARDOUS ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN WATER

Photoactive catalysts, when illuminated with UV-light, generate highly reactive radicals that can oxidize the organic contaminants in water. One method to increase the efficiency of the process, and thereby reduce the light energy requirements, is by developing more active catalysts. Several catalysts that were obtained commercially and/or prepared in the laboratory were examined for their photoactivity, and they are: TiO2, Pt-TiO2 with platinum loading varying from 0.5% to 100% by weight, SrTiO3, and 1.5% NiO-SrTiO3. The organic compounds used to identify the best catalyst were trichloroethylene (TCE), toluene, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), salicylic acid, and 2,4-dichlorophenol, with initial concentration varying from 0.1 to 10.0 mg/L. This study also examined the impact of catalyst dosage, organic compound and its initial concentration, and electron acceptor concentration on the reaction kinetics. The process efficiency for mineralization of organic compounds is also evaluated. The results demonstrate that the activity of photocatalysts can be improved by approximately 2-4 times over commercially available catalysts.