Visible-light assisted methylene blue (MB) removal by novel TiO2/adsorbent nanocomposites

In present work, visible light sensitive TiO2/adsorbent nanocomposites (TNC) were prepared via a facile wet chemical method. Three types of adsorbents including zeolites (F-9, HSZ-690 and HSZ-930), mesoporous silica (MPS-2.7 and 4) and activated carbon, were used as the porous substrates for nanocomposites. Visible light sensitivity was incorporated to TNCs by nitrogen doping of TiO2, which is obtained through the addition of a nitrogen precursor, triethylamine, within the same wet chemical procedure. The photocatalytic and adsorption ability of as-prepared TNC resultants were studied using solutions of methylene blue (MB) as a model pollutant. Synergistic interactions between adsorption and visible-light photocatalysis were observed, as under the assistance of visible-light irradiation all TNCs achieved higher MB removal rates than those by adsorption process alone. The better performance of the as-prepared N-doped TNC reveals its potential to be used for cost effective solar photocatalytic degradation of dissolved organic compounds