Fe/TiO2 Catalyst for Photodegradation of Phenol in Water

In this work, Fe/TiO2 nanostructured catalyst was prepared using sol-gel method developed by Yoldas and tested in degradation of phenol in water under UV radiation. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by XRF, XRD, specific surface area and porosimetry, and SEM methods. The porosimetry revealed the mesopore structure of the catalyst. Results of SEM confirmed the nano dispersion of iron oxides on titania support. Effects of Fe load of the catalyst, dosage of the catalyst, pH, H2O2 amount, and time were investigated. Results of phenol photodegradation over Fe/TiO2 showed that the reaction followed an apparent first order kinetics at low phenol concentration and the apparent rate constant was 0.0017 min-1. Also, there was an optimum for Fe load of the catalyst.