• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2004

In Bok-Jeong water treatment plant, chlorination is the only technique used for disinfection of drinking water. This disinfecting treatment leads to the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs). This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of improving removal efficiency of THM precursor in the conventional water treatment processes by $TiO_2$ photocatalytic oxidation. Removal efficiencies of DOC, $UV_{254}$, THMFP were low in the conventional water treatment processes. With application of $TiO_2$ photocatalyst, DOC, $UV_{254}$, THMFP were reduced more effectively. As the $TiO_2$ photocatalytic reaction time increased, the removal efficiencies of DOC, $UV_{254}$, THMFP were increased. The $TiO_2$ photocatalytic removal efficiencies of DOC, $UV_{254}$, THMFP were increased with increasing $TiO_2$ dosage. However, over 0.6g/l of $TiO_2$ dosage, the efficiency reached a plateau.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.688-693
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• 2008

This paper presents a study on the photocatalytic reaction about the composite particles of $TiO_2$-coated phosphors under visible light irradiation. Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide layers were directly coated on the alkaline earth aluminate phosphor, $CaAl_2O_4:Eu^{2+},\;Nd^{3+}$ particles by an sol-gel processing method. The photocatalytic reaction was analyzed with the degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under UV and visible light irradiations. $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders showed different photocatalytic mechanism, compared with pure $TiO_2$ (P-25, Degussa). Under UV-irradiation, $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders showed slow photocatalytic reactivity in the early stage and fast in the latter, compared with that of pure $TiO_2$. However, $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders showed much faster photocatalytic reactivity than that of pure $TiO_2$ under visible irradiation. In addition, the characterizations of the $TiO_2$-coated phosphor powders were conducted by a X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.133-139
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• 2014

In this research, the photocatalytic degradation of benzothiophene in $TiO_2$ aqueous suspension has been studied. $TiO_2$ photocatalysts are prepared by a sol-gel method. The dominant anatase-structure on $TiO_2$ particles is observed after calcining the $TiO_2$ gel at $500^{\circ}C$ for 1hr. Photocatalysts with various transition metals (Nd, Pd and Pt) loading are tested to evaluate the effect of transition metal impurities on photodegradation. The photocatalytic degradation in most cases follows first-order kinetics. The maximum photodegradation efficiency is obtained with $TiO_2$ dosage of 0.4g/L. The photodegradation efficiency with Pt-$TiO_2$ is higher than pure $TiO_2$ powder. The optimal content value of Pt is 0.5wt.%. Also we investigate the applicability of $H_2O_2$ to increase the efficiency of the $TiO_2$ photocatalytic degradation of benzothiophene. The optimal concentration of $H_2O_2$ is 0.05. The effect of pH is investigated; we obtain the maximum photodegradation efficiency at pH 9. Hydroxy-benzothiophenes and dihydroxy-benzothiophenes are identified as reaction intermediates. It is proposed that benzothiophene is oxidized by OH radical to sequentially form hydroxyl-benzothiophenes, dihydroxybenzothiophenes, and benzothiophenedione.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.168-178
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• 2017

$La/TiO_2$ - graphene composites were synthesized in this study, and applied to the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV-visible light irradiation. X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis demonstrated that $La/TiO_2$ nanoparticles were well distributed on the surface of graphene, and formed the heterostructure of $La/TiO_2$-graphene. Compared to the pure $TiO_2$, $La/TiO_2$-graphene composites displayed much higher photocatalytic activities in RhB degradation under UV-visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic data of $La/TiO_2$-graphene composites exhibit extended light absorption in the visible light region, and possess better charge separation capability than that of pure $TiO_2$. The high photocatalytic activity was attributed to the composite's high adsorptivity, extended light absorption, and increased charge separation efficiency, due to the excellent electrical properties of graphene, and the large surface contact between graphene and $La/TiO_2$ nanoparticles.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.433-438
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• 2010

Fe-carbon/$TiO_2$ composites were prepared by a sol-gel method using AC, ACF, CNT and $C_{60}$ as carbon precursors and were characterized by means of BET surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The activity of the prepared photocatalysts was investigated by degradation reaction of methylene blue (MB) irradiated with UV lamp. Effects of different carbon sources and irradiation time on photocatalytic activity were also investigated. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the Fe-carbon/$TiO_2$ composites was much higher than that of pristine $TiO_2$ and Fe/$TiO_2$ composites. The prominent photocatalytic activity of Fecarbon/$TiO_2$ composites could be attributed to both the effects of photo-adsorption and electron transfer by carbon substrate. In addition, the higher photocatalytic activity of Fe-carbon/$TiO_2$ composites can be compared with that of carbon/$TiO_2$ and Fe /$TiO_2$ composites due to cooperative effects between Fe and carbon.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2023

Composite membranes consisting of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) and porous polymers have been widely utilized in photocatalytic water treatment because the composite membranes can allow an easy recovery of NPs after the photocatalytic reaction as well as the reduction of fouling in the membrane. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of the immobilized TiO₂ NPs in the composite membranes has been discussed to a limited degree. In this study, we prepared polyethersulfone (PES)/TiO₂ composite membranes to study the photocatalytic decomposition of organic dyes under light illumination. The decomposition kinetics of dye molecules by the PES/TiO₂ composite membranes and colloidal TiO₂ NPs have been compared to discuss the photocatalytic efficiency of NPs before and after their immobilization on the polymer membrane.

• Rapid Communication in Photoscience
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

Transparent $TiO_2$ films in various thicknesses were prepared by sol-gel and MOCVD method, respectively, and their photocatalytic activities in decomposing gaseous 2-propanol were evaluated. The surfaces and grain structures of the prepared films were characterized by FESEM, XRD, and AFM. It was found that the photocatalytic activities of $TiO_2$ films were greatly dependent on the film thickness and surface roughness: The photocatalytic activity increases with the increase of film thickness, while it decreases with the increase of surface roughness. We have proposed that these phenomena originate from the transfer of photogenerated electron and hole pairs from the bulk to the surface of $TiO_2$ film. Several experimental evidences supporting this mechanism have also been provided.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.649-656
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• 2010

Boron-doped $TiO_2$ photocatalysts were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method and their photocatalytic activities were performed and compared with those of pure synthetic and commercial $TiO_2$ catalysts under UV or visible light conditions. Pure $TiO_2$ itself exhibited very negligible photocatalytic performance under visible light conditions in the aspects of toluene decomposition reactions, although significant decomposition potential was observed as expected with UV light conditions. However, boron doping over $TiO_2$ significantly improved photocatalytic activity particularly under visible conditions, where over 95% degradation of toluene was achieved with 1wt% $B-TiO_2$ within 2 hrs. All the decomposition reactions seemed to follow pseudo first-order kinetics. The effects of boron-doping and its characteristics are further discussed through the kinetic studies and comparison of results.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2021.11a
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• pp.172-173
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• 2021

With the development of nano-reinforcement technology and the increasing concern for environmental issues, TiO₂ nanomaterials have received wide attention as an additive besides carbon nanomaterials that can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of cement-based materials. Also, TiO₂-based materials can allow cement-baned materials with photocatalytic capability, providing a potentially effective approach to reduce environmental problems. In this work, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and degradation of methylene blue solution were used as target to assess the effect of TiO₂ nanotubes on the mechanical strength and photocatalytic effect of hardened cement paste at different curing time. According to the strength results, the optimum amount of TiO₂ was identified as 0.5% of the weight of cement. Meanwhile, the TiO₂ nanotubes-reinforced specimen exhibited better photocatalytic effect in the early stage of curing.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.425-425
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• 2011

The photocatalytic decomposition of toluene gas was investigated with $TiO_2$ on nano-diamond powder (NDP) under UV irradiation. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used for the growth of $TiO_2$ on the NDP. The structure and surface properties of catalysts were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activity for the toluene decomposition was evaluated by measuring the concentration change of toluene and $CO_2$ gas with gas chromatography (GC)-flame ionization detector (FID) system. The photocatalytic activities of $TiO_2$/NDP catalysts were compared with that of P-25. The rate of initial photocatalytic decomposition of toluene for the $TiO_2$/NDP catalysts was relatively lower when compared to P-25. The photocatalytic activity of P-25 was rapidly decreased with time, whereas, the deactivation of $TiO_2$/NDP catalysts was less pronounced. Therefore, as the reaction time increased, the photocatalytic activity of $TiO_2$/NDP catalysts became higher than that of P-25. The intermediates such as benzaldehyde or benzoic acid, etc were more easily adhered to the active site on the P-25 surface during reaction, resulting in easier deactivation of P-25. These results could be confirmed using FT-IR spectroscopy. We suggest that the NDP used as substrate can reduce the deactivation of $TiO_2$ on the surface.