Commercial TiO2 P25 activation: Evaluation of efficacy in photodegration processes of different radiating sources

The paper describes the system, the procedure and the first results of a series of experiments of photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds (phenols and pyridines) carried out using commercial P-25 TiO₂ as catalyst and commercial LEDs as light sources. A relevant amount of organic products (more than 50%) is converted to CO₂ and aliphatic alcohols and carboxylic acids are formed as intermediates. Typically, in the case of phenols the degradation times are doubled (from 200 to 400 minutes) by comparing the processes performed using LEDs and conventional UV lamps. In the case of pyridines the times are comparable. These preliminary results are aimed to establish the lowest radiation power which can induce titania activation in order to design and optimize suitable cheap devices for pollutant degradation.