Photocatalytic degradation of aqueous ammonia by using TiO2ZnO/LECA hybrid photocatalyst

A novel hybrid structure of TiO2ZnO photocatalyst which immobilized on light expanded clay aggregate (LECA) support was applied for efficient removal of ammonia from synthetic wastewater. This photocatalyst was successfully prepared by a simple method and characterized by FESEM, FTIR, UV-vis, and PL techniques. LECA granules were used as support due to their low weight and high porosity surface. Compared with the pure TiO2 and ZnO, the hybrid photocatalyst had a significant effect on its properties such as photoluminescence and UV visible absorption. The coupled Ti:Zn photocatalyst with molar ratio of 1:2 exhibited the lowest photoluminescence emission intensity and maximum photocatalytic degradation of ammonia in aqueous solution. For evaluating performance of the hybrid photocatalyst, the effect of various parameters such as initial feed concentration, pH of solution, and photocatalyst dosage on the ammonia photodegradation rate were systematically investigated. The optimal pH, catalyst loading, and initial concentration of ammonia were obtained to be ≈ 11, 25 g/L, and 400 mg/L, respectively. Also, in the optimal conditions, 95.2% ammonia removal was achieved during 3 h of UV irradiation. The discussions were based on the mobility and lifetime of the charge carriers generated in the TiO2ZnO composite.