Preparation of Fe-AC/TiO2 composites and pH dependence of their photo catalytic activity for methylene blue

In this study, activated carbon (AC) was treated with ferric ion by a sol-gel method. The compound (Fe-AC) was employed for the preparation of Fe-activated carbon/TiO2 (Fe-AC/TiO2) composites. The prepared Fe-AC/TiO2 composites were characterized with surface properties, structural crystallinity, elemental identification and photocatalytic activity. The SEM results showed that ferric compounds and titanium dioxide were fixed onto the AC surfaces. The XRD results showed that Fe-AC/TiO2 composites mostly contained anatase phase. EDX showed the presence of C, O, and Ti with Fe peaks in all samples. Its photocatalytic degradation effect was evaluated with the degradation behavior of the methylene blue (MB) solution. MB degradation could be attributed to the synergetic effects of adsorption, photo-degradation of TiO2 and photo-Fenton of Fe component. The degradation rate for this photocatalysis was evaluated as a function of the concentration of the dye, the amount of TiO2 and the pH. Photocataytic activity is good at activity pH.