Topic of Research Seminar: Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Nitrobenzene by Copper Doped TiO2: Kinetic Study, Degradation Pathway and Mechanism

Abstract: Nitrobenzene (NB) is a highly toxic aromatic compound, which is released into the water from different industries and poses a serious threat to the environment and human health due to its high toxicity and persistence. The removal of NB from water is an important environmental issue. In the current study, we have synthesized pristine and copper doped TiO2 (0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 % Cu-TiO2) photocatalysts using the sol-gel method, and were characterized by powder XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM, EDX, UV-vis diffuse reflectance (DRS), photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy. The FTIR, Raman, and powder XRD results represent that these photocatalysts have a tetragonal anatase phase. TEM analysis indicate that the nanoparticles are spherical in shape and average particle size are in the range of 12-13 nm. The degradation of NB was studied with these photocatalysts under optimum reaction conditions (initial concentration of NB = 0.05 mM, pH = 4, catalyst loading = 50 mg/100 mL, reaction time = 180 min) in visible light. Among these photocatalysts, 0.25% Cu-TiO2 showed the excellent photodegradation of NB (98.6%). The degradation of NB follows the pseudo-first-order kinetics. The reusability studies indicated the excellent stability of 0.25% Cu-TiO2. A detailed mechanism of the degradation of NB was proposed, as well.

Subject Field of Topic: Photocatalysis

Name of Speaker: Ms. Tehmina Akhtar

Professorial Rank of Speaker: PhD student (Chemistry Dpt.) SNS

University Email of Speaker: [email protected]

Affiliation of Speaker: NUST School of Natural Sciences (NUST-SNS)

Date and Venue: December 08, 2022 at 1400 hrs, School of Natural Sciences (SNS) New building, CR # 205, NUST Islamabad Campus