Solar Photodegradation of Phenol using a Composite Catalyst of Silica and TiO2

In this study, solar photocatalysis was employed to remove phenol from synthetic wastewater. Composite catalysts of different compositions were synthesized and applied for solar photocatalysis. The effect of the silica loading, composite loading, initial phenol concentration and initial solution pH on the photodegradation of phenol was investigated. It was found that a decrease in silica loading and initial concentration of phenol led to an increase in photodegradation. Increasing the composite loading and pH, on the other hand, led to an increase in photodegradation up to a limit. The best photodegradation was achieved at a catalyst composition of 60% TiO2, composite loading of 5 g/L, phenol concentration of 15 ppm and solution pH of 4. At these conditions, there was a 100% degradation of phenol within 5 hours.