Enhanced Activity of TiO2/Natural Zeolite Composite for Degradation of Methyl Orange under Visible Light Irradiation

Abstract

A series of titanium dioxide nanoparticles anchored on mordenite zeolite from an Indonesian natural deposit were prepared by the sol-gel route using a titanium isopropoxide sol as the precursor. Mordenite was incorporated during the sol-gel process by dispersing mordenite powder into the titania sol-gel precursor. The resulting titanium dioxide nanoparticles were in the anatase and rutile form, as confirmed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Diffuse reflectance ultra violet visible (DR-UVVis) spectroscopy analysis indicated a red shift for the band gap energy, which enabled the materials to absorb ultraviolet to visible light. Subjecting the material to photodegradation in a reactor under ultraviolet and visible radiation gave better dye degradation under visible light than ultraviolet irradiation and the yield was proportional with the content of TiO2 nanoparticles incorporated into the zeolite.