Enhancing photodegradation of 2,4,6 trichlorophenol and organic pollutants in industrial effluents using nanocomposite of TiO2 doped with reduced graphene oxide

Abstract

The present study investigated the applicability of synthesized TiO2@rGO photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants from industrial wastewater and photodegradation of 2,4,6 trichlorophenol (2,4,6 TCP) under UV irradiation. The results showed a high reduction in COD and TOC values of industrial effluents reaching 85% and 82%, respectively. Effects of several factors on the photodegradation process such as pH of the solution, TCP initial concentration, irradiation time and catalyst dose were studied. The results proved a high relationship between pH of the solution and the adsorption capacity. The maximum degradation ratio reached up to 90% at pH 6 at the initial concentration of TCP of 50 mg/l when exposed to UV irradiation for 180 min and 0.4 g/L catalyst dose. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption process obeyed pseudo-second order model with qe values ranging between 22.0 and 22.7 mg/L and R2 > 0.99. Isotherm model studies showed a good fit with the Langmuir model better than Freundlich model. Keywords: Reduced graphene oxide, Photodegradation, Industrial effluents TCP, TiO2