Preparation of nanostructured ruthenium doped titania for the photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol under visible light

Ru doped titania was prepared by the impregnation method and examined for the photocatalytic degradation of 2-chlorophenol at ambient conditions. Ru/TiO2 photocatalysts with metal loadings of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 wt% were prepared and characterized using TEM, XRD, FTIR, SBET and EDX analyses. The degradation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) in the aqueous phase was investigated under irradiation at 254 nm, employing either photodegradation in the presence of titania, Ru doped titania or photolysis, to compare the efficiency of these photoinduced advanced oxidation techniques. Photocatalysis under visible irradiation was also investigated. The removal efficiency arrived at 50% using 0.2% Ru/TiO2 catalyst.