TiO2/CoFe2O4/Ag NANOCOMPOSITES FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC REDUCTION OF WATER POLLUTANTS UNDER UV AND SOLAR LIGHT

Novel ternary catalysts TiO2/CoFe2O4/Ag with variable ferrite content were synthesized, characterized and used for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr+6 pollutant, under UV and visible light illumination. Both TiO2 and CoFe2O4 were synthesized using the sol-gel method followed by hydrothermal treatment to prepare TiO2/CoFe2O4 (TCF) composite. Silver nanoparticles were successfully loaded on the surface of TCF to get three different composites, named as Ag/TCF. The crystal structure of the composites was analyzed by application of physicochemical characterization techniques. The presence of pure anatase phase TiO2, cubic CoFe2O4, and silver nanoparticles was indicated in both XRD patterns and Raman spectra. It was found that the addition of silver nanoparticles has a great contribution to the photocatalytic reduction of Cr+6 species. The photocatalytic reaction mechanism was studied by applying scavenging reaction process, revealing that electrons were strongly supported for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr+6. After the photocatalytic experiments, the composite catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction solution by an external magnetic bar and re-used. Acknowledgements We acknowledge funding by the European Commission, Environment, LIFE17 ENV/GR/000387-PureAgroH2O Programme