| Heterogeneous photocatalysis has potential for degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater. Among all the semiconductor photocatalysts, TiO 2 (anatase) is the most suitable one because of its chemical inertness, non-photocorrosivity and non-toxic nature as well as its ability to create a highly reactive oxidant (hydroxyl radical) upon excitation with UV light. The hydroxyl radical (OH•), which is known to be one of the most powerful oxidizing species, mineralizes organic pollutants to carbon dioxide and inorganic ions.; The efficiency of the photocatalytic process largely depends on the physical structure of the catalyst system. An Integrated PhotoCatalyst Adsorbent (IPCA) system has been employed in this study where TiO2 and zeolite were used as the photocatalyst and the adsorbent respectively. The immobilization of the adsorbent/photocatalyst mixture was carried out in porous glass beads using a binding agent.; The performance of the IPCA was investigated using two model organic compounds, acetophenone and phenol in aqueous media. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
