Abstract
Nitrogen doped TiO2 (N-TiO2) photocatalyst was synthesized via sol-gel combined with low temperature reflux method using urea as nitrogen source. Hierarchical porous carbon foam (HPCF) with the characteristics of micro/mesopores and micron-sized macropores was made by steam activation of a new type of thin-walled carbon foam which was produced from the loose medium component of coal. N-TiO2/HPCF was synthesized by loading N-TiO2 onto the HPCF via impregnation method. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflection spectrometry (DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). Phenol was used as a simulated pollutant in wastewater to evaluate the photodegradation performances of naked TiO2, N-TiO2 and N-TiO2/HPCF. The N-TiO2/HPCF composite removed 97 % of phenol in 2 h of simulated sunlight irradiation and displayed the highest photocatalytic activity, which was 4.9 times that of N-TiO2 and 10.8 times that of naked TiO2. The enhanced activity of N-TiO2/HPCF can be ascribed to the combination of both extended visible light adsorption of N-TiO2 and the concentrating effect brought by HPCF. This work demonstrates a facile approach to synthesis an inexpensive and efficient N-TiO2 coated coal-based carbon foam for the treatment of wastewater.
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