Modification of carbon-coated TiO2 by iron to increase adsorptivity and photoactivity for phenol

Carbon-coated TiO2 modified by iron, were prepared from TiO2 of anatase structure and PET modified by FeC2O4. Catalysts were prepared by mixing powders of TiO2 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 H2O2 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 TiO2 catalysts heated at 500–800 °C showed almost no phenol adsorption or oxidation.