UV/TiO2 and UV/TiO2/chemical oxidant processes for the removal of humic acid, Cr and Cu in aqueous TiO2 suspensions

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the treatment efficiency of UV/TiO2 and UV/TiO2/chemical oxidant processes for the removal of humic acid and hazardous heavy metals in aqueous TiO2 suspensions. The reaction rate (k) of humic acid and hazardous heavy metals by UV/TiO2 was higher than that of UV illumination alone or TiO2 alone. The removal efficiency for humic acid and Cr(VI) at acid or neutral pH values was higher than that at basic pH values. However, the removal efficiency for Cu(II) at acid pH values was smaller compared with that at neutral or basic pH values. The reaction rate (k) of humic acid and hazardous heavy metals in the TiO2 concentration range of 0.1–0.3 g l−1 increased with increasing TiO2 dosage. However, amounts higher than a TiO2 dosage of 0.3 g l−1 reduced the removal efficiency for humic acid and hazardous heavy metals because of the shielding effect on the UV light penetration in the aqueous solution caused by the presence of excessive amounts of TiO2. The addition of oxidants to the UV/TiO2 system showed an increase in degradation efficiency for the treatment of humic acid and hazardous heavy metals. The optimal concentration of oxidants was: H2O2 50 mg l−1, O3 20 g m−3 and K2S2O8 50 mg l−1, respectively. The degradation efficiency of UV/TiO2/oxidant systems for the removal of humic acid and hazardous heavy metals was much greater when H2O2 was used as the oxidant.