A study on the potential application of natural phosphate in photocatalytic processes

In an attempt at increasing surface area of the resulting solids, different titanium-based systems were synthesized on natural phosphate through the sol–gel process using diverse ageing conditions (reflux, magnetic stirring, sonication or microwaves) and tested for gas-phase selective photooxidation of propan-2-ol. The best results were obtained for the system aged under ultrasounds which was ascribed to its lower band-gap energy. Moreover, the synthesis of TiO2 on natural phosphate seemed to produce retardation in crystallization as well as a change in titanium and phosphorus electronic environments (as determined by XPS) which in the case of the sonicated system resulted in an improved catalytic behavior as compared to pure titania. All in all, the present piece of research shows that provided that its surface area can be increased natural phosphate can be used as support for a photocatalytic active phase thus widening the scope of its application.

Graphical abstractThe valorisation of Moroccan natural phosphate through its use in selective photooxidations would fulfill some of the principles of Green Chemistry.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (113 K)Download as PowerPoint slide