The Removal of 4-Chlorophenol and Dichloroacetic Acid in Water Using Ti-, Zr- and Ti/Zr-Pillared Bentonites as Photocatalyst

Heterogeneous photocatalysis could be alternative remediation technology for water since it does not need the addition of any chemicals and it is suitable for treating low concentrations of pollutant. Although the TiO₂ Degussa P 25 is most used photocatalyst its photonic efficiency still low and its recovery from water is considered as an awkward process. In this study the effect of zirconium addition to titanium was investigated. Ti/Zr-pillared montmorillonites have been prepared from natural bentonite and characterized by UV-Vis DRS and X-ray diffraction. The photocatalytic activities have been tested for the removal of 4-chlorophenol and dichloroacetic acid in water. The influence of preparation conditions and the calculation method, on these activities has been investigated. It was found that the photocatalytic activities increase by the addition of zirconium in pillorying process and the calculation by Microwaves (MW) improves the photocatalytic activities