Mechanism of phenol photodegradation in the presence of pure and modified-TiO2: A review

In recent years, the application of heterogeneous photocatalytic water purification processes has gained wide attention due to its effectiveness in degrading and mineralizing the recalcitrant organic compounds as well as the possibility of utilizing the solar UV and visible-light spectrum. By far, titania has played a much larger role in this scenario compared to other semiconductor photocatalysts due to its costly effectiveness, inert nature and photostability. A substantial amount of research has focused on the enhancement of TiO2 photocatalysis by modification with metal, non-metal and ion doping.This paper aims to review and summarize the recent works on the titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalytic oxidation of phenol and discusses various mechanisms of phenol photodegradation (indicating the intermediates products) and formation of OH radicals. Phenol degradation pathway in both systems, TiO2/UV and doped-TiO2/Vis, are described.

► Review of recent works on the TiO2 photocatalytic oxidation of phenol. ► Application of heterogeneous photocatalysis in water purification processes. ► Metal, non-metal and ion doping TiO2.