Photocatalytic degradation of phenol on strontium titanate supported on HZSM-5

Abstract SrTiO3 was supported on HZSM-5 zeolite by sol-gel method. XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and N2 adsorption-desorption were measured to the synthesized materials. The effects of SrTiO3 loading content on phenol degradation were studied. Perovskite SrTiO3 is coated on the surface of HZSM-5 particles. After coating SrTiO3 on HZSM-5, the BET surface area of χSrTiO3/HZSM-5 increases constantly with rising HZSM-5 content. The photocatalytic activity of SrTiO3 is greatly enhanced after loading on HZSM-5, while the maximum degradation efficiency is obtained on 30 %SrTiO3/HZSM-5. Intermediates and residues in phenol solution during degradation were determined using FT-IR and TOC analyses. Hydroxyl radicals produced at the beginning of illumination are combined to benzene ring. Subsequently, oxidation of benzene ring takes significant effect with further irradiation, leading to total removal of organic carbon in the solution using 30 %SrTiO3/HZSM-5.