Preliminary study of the use of β-SiC foam as a photocatalytic support for water treatment

In this study we used a medium sized surface area of β-SiC foam, being a three-dimensional medium for the preparation of photocatalytic materials. The study's objective was to optimize the deposition of TiO2 photocatalyst on the β-SiC Foam by using the sol–gel process. To this end, various parameters were applied via varying temperatures of the thermal treatment; variation in the ratio of acetic acid/Ti of sol–gel; and differing level of oxidation of the β-SiC support. The relative performances of the various prepared materials were evaluated against their ability to degrade an aqueous solution of Diuron (herbicide) under UV irradiation. As an outcome, we obtained an efficient TiO2/β-SiC material for photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds in water.