Enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2/zeolite composite for abatement of pollutants

•TiO2/acid leaching zeolite composite was synthesized.•The composite displayed enhanced photoactivities for abatement of pollutants.•The acid leaching contributed to high adsorption and photoactivities of composite.•The composite is promising photocatalyst in pollutants degradation.

The TiO2/zeolite composite was synthesized through a hydrolysis deposition method combined with a calcination crystallization process. The composites were characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM, XPS and UV-vis DRS. The effect of acid leaching on the physicochemical property, adsorption capacity and photocatalytic performance of the TiO2/zeolite was analyzed. The characterization results revealed that well-dispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles were loaded on the surface of acid leaching zeolite. The photoactivities of composites were examined by degrading gaseous (formaldehyde) and aqueous (phenol, methyl orange and rhodamine B) organic pollutants. The results indicated that TiO2/acid leaching zeolite composite had the strong photoactivity than TiO2/natural zeolite composite. The enhanced photoactivity can be attributed to the higher surface area and more surface hydroxyl groups. The excellent activity reveals that TiO2/zeolite composite is a promising photocatalyst in pollutants degradation.

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