Fabrication of TiO2 nanoparticles loaded on coal fly ash composite with enhanced photocatalytic activity

By immobilized on the coal fly ashes, the TiO2 nanoparticles photocatalysts were obviously improved in removing organic compounds of the contaminated water. These composite catalysts were fabricated by three different methods involving hydrothermal method, physical blending and sol-gel method. The resulting materials have been characterized by XRD, SEM and FTIR. The photocatalytic activity of these as-prepared samples was assessed by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution at ambient temperature under UV-light irradiation. The experimental results indicated that TiO2 nanoparticles were tightly dispersed on the surface of spherical coal fly ash particles, where the adsorption ability of the catalysts is effectively promoted. It was found that the catalysts prepared by hydrothermal method exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity than that prepared by physical blending or sol-gel method which mainly resulted from the synergistic effect of TiO2 nanopartcles and coal fly ashes.