Modification of carbon-coated TiO 2 by iron to increase adsorptivity and photoactivity for phenol

Abstract

Carbon-coated TiO 2 modified by iron, were prepared from TiO 2 of anatase structure and PET modified by FeC 2O 4. Catalysts were prepared by mixing powders of TiO 2 and modified PET and heating at different temperatures, from 400 to 800 °C under flow of Ar gas. High adsorption of phenol was observed on the catalyst heated at 400 °C, confirmed by FT-IR analysis. On this catalyst, fast rate of phenol decomposition was achieved by addition of small amount of H 2O 2 to the reaction mixture. Phenol decomposition proceeded mainly through the direct oxidation of phenol species adsorbed on the catalyst surface due to the photo-Fenton reaction. Iron-modified carbon-coated TiO 2 catalysts heated at 500–800 °C showed almost no phenol adsorption or oxidation.