[Study on photocatalytic degradation of 1, 2, 3-trichlorobenzene using the microwaved MWNTs/TiO2 composite]

Composite photocatalyst, MWNTs/TiO2, is prepared using sol-gel method and dried through microwave irradiation. Characterization of the composite shows that, with the increase of microwave power till 400 W, the average diameter of MWNTs/TiO2 composite reduces gradually, and better dispersion of the composites is also acquired at the microwave power of 400 W. However, a further increase of the power results in the average diameter of the composite enlarged, and more aggregative composites are obtained. Furthermore, photodegradation of 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (1,2,3-TCB) with the composite photocatalysts of MWNTs/TiO2 induced under different microwave conditions is studied. It is found that the photodegradation of 1,2,3-TCB follows the first-order kinetics. The microwaving conditions for producing the composite photocatalysts with the highest photocatalytic activity are further determined as 5 min irradiation at 400 W. Under such conditions, the rate constant of 1,2,3-TCB photodegradation is 0.023 7 min(-1) which is elevated by 52% comparing to those obtained using non-microwaved composites.