Photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol by Co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

Results obtained revealed that Co-doped TiO2 showed high activity for UV-photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP. The surface area of the catalyst was measured to be 39.7 m2 g−1. The photodegradation process was optimized by using 10 mg/L Co-doped TiO2 with Co doping concentration of 0.036, after 3 h irradiation. The efficiency values of the 2-CP photodegradation were 93.4% and 96.4% at solution pH of 9 and 12, respectively. The photodegradation follows a pseudo-first-order reaction and the observed rate constant values change with the 2-CP concentration. The optical absorption properties of the samples were also measured. The presence of Co ions in the TiO2 structure caused a significant absorption shift towards the visible region. The photodegradation efficiency matched the maximum light absorption efficiency.