Activity in the Photodegradation of 4-Nitrophenol of a Zn,Al Hydrotalcite-Like Solid and the Derived Alumina-Supported ZnO

Abstract

A Zn,Al layered double hydroxide (LDH), with the hydrotalcite structure and the mixed oxide obtained upon its calcination at 650 °C, was tested in the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of 4-Nitrophenol in aqueous solution. The Zn,Al LDH was fast and easily obtained by the coprecipitation method. Hydrothermal treatment under microwave irradiation was applied to compare the effect of the ageing treatment on the photocatalytic behavior. The efficiency of the synthetized solids was compared to that of a commercial ZnO. The ageing treatment did not improve the performance of the original samples in the degradation of 4-nitrophenol. The activity of the synthetized solids tested exceeded that observed for the reaction with commercial ZnO. The photocatalytic performance of the original non-calcined hydrotalcite is similar to that of commercial ZnO. The calcined hydrotalcite showed a better performance in the adsorption-degradation of the contaminant than ZnO, and its reusability would be possible as it recovered the hydrotalcite-like structure during the reaction.

Keywords

• photocatalysis
• nitrophenol degradation
• Zn,Al-hydrotalcite
• ZnO dispersed on alumina
• reusability
• layered double hydroxide