Synthesis, structural characterization and catalytic activity of TiO2/Al2O3 photo-composite

In recent years, the effects of heterogeneous catalysts for the oxidation of organic and inorganic pollutants in industrial wastewaters are spread. Traditionally, these reactions are usually carried out using suspensions of photo-catalysts such as TiO2. A chemical method including TiCl4, Al(NO3)3, ethanol amine, ethyl acetoacetate and aqueous ammonia were used for the fabrication of TiO2-Al2O3 nano-composite. The as prepared nano-composite was characterized applying the XRD, FE-SEM and TEM techniques. The photocatalytic behavior of TiO2-Al2O3 nano-composite was evaluated in the photo-catalytic degradation of methyl orange under UV irradiation technique. The effect of various parameters including catalyst dosage, dyes concentration, pH and temperature on the degradation of methyl orange was investigated. The degradation rate was efficiently increased as the concentration of catalyst was decreased. The optimum dosage of methyl orange was found to be 10 mgL-1. In addition, we found that pH can significantly enhance the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange dye.