Photodegradation of acetophenone and toluene in water by nano TiO2 supported on zeolite NaY

TiO2 was supported on a porous material, like NaY zeolite, by using sol-gel method and using TiCl4 as precussor. Characterization of synthesized samples by SEM shows that nano titanium species are located on the external surface of the zeolite. Nano titanium species bound to the framework through Ti–O–Si bonds were also observed by IR analysis. The XRD patterns show that the supported TiO2 are crystallized in anatase form, and the intensity of the X-ray diffraction peaks increased with increasing TiO2 loading. These materials are used as photocatalyst for degradation of acetophenone and toluene to H2O and CO2. The effect of some factors such as the pH of the photodegradation reaction, time of UV irradiation, amount of TiO2 loading and amount of catalyst used were investigated. It can be concluded from the data obtained in this work that photocatalytic activity of the nano titanium oxide based on zeolite NaY works better than nano titanium oxide powder alone, when using as photocatalyst for degradation of acetophenone and toluene.