Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether by C-N-TiO2 Nanoparticles from Aqueous Solution

Background: The elimination of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from water resources remains a main environmental concern. In the present study, photo-assissted process for removal of MTBE was examined in the solutions containing C-N-TiO2 nanoparticles under UV irradiation in the batch mode. Methods: The effects of operational factors such as pH, initial catalyst concentration, and initial MTBE concentration on MTBE removal was investigated. Results: The optimum degradation condition for MTBE was obtained at pH 7, catalyst load of 100 mg/L, air flow rate = 0.1 L/min and C0 = 5 mg/L with 73 percent degradation of MTBE at 60 min. In addition, Analytical profiles on MTBE removal were based on the first-order kinetics model. However, the removal rate decreased by increasing initial concentration of MTBE. Conclusion: The findings showed that UV/C-N-TiO2 system is an efficient method for MTBE degradation from aqueous solution.