Influence of H-Type and L-Type Activated Carbon in the Photodegradation of Methylene Blue and Phenol under UV and Visible Light Irradiated TiO2

Abstract

Photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and phenol (Ph) on TiO2 in presence of H-type and L-type activated carbons (AC) was studied. Photodegradation of MB and Ph were studied under two different lamps and results were compared against those obtained on a commercial TiO2. Apparent first order rate constant for the degradation of MB was higher in presence of any AC in comparison of TiO2 alone while only in presence of ACCO2-800 phenol was photodegradated in shorter irradiation time than that required by TiO2. It can be concluded that TiO2 enhances its photoactivity by a factor up to 8.7 in the degradation of MB in presence of AC and this effect is associated to the specific surface properties of AC