Lanthanum/titanium dioxide immobilized onto industrial waste with enhanced photocatalytic activity, and the degradation of dimethyl phthalate

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129014
• Publication Date: 2021-09-11T20:00:30Z
• Authors: Yi Chen; Mengjia Ran; Ziyan Zhou; Xinyi Han; Honglin Zhu; Jinchuan Gu
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0104 chemical sciences; 12. Responsible consumption

Abstract Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an effective photocatalyst for organic removal. However, its efficacy is hampered by the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. This paper presented an eco-friendly, synthetic lanthanum (La)/TiO2 supported on lithium silicon powder (L) to significantly improve photocatalysis. The results showed that 74.4% dimethyl phthalate (DMP) removal was achieved in the ultraviolet (UV)-La-TiO2/L (LTL1) system, which was considerably higher than UV-TiO2/L (TL) (60.1%) and UV-L (18.3%). The enhanced LTL1 photocatalysis was based on the synergic effect between TiO2 and La with L matrix. The photocatalysis efficiency was further improved by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), while the DMP removal rate reached 100% in the UV-LTL1-H2O2 system. The DMP activation mechanisms and degradation pathways in the UV-LTL1-H2O2 system were carefully examined, revealing that increased hydroxyl free radical (OH•) and superoxide ion radicals (O2−•) were pivotal to the higher degradation rate. Overall, the findings suggested that LTL1 showed considerable application promise for the low-cost and eco-friendly organic removal from water.