Determination of photocatalytic process parameters on phenol degradation using TiO2-MWCNT (cocoPAS) composite

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared by treatment of cocoPas and titanium dioxide nanocomposites TiO2 – MWCNT (cocoPAS) prepared by stirring and mixing method was used as a photocatalyst for the degradation of phenol in water under light irradiation. The morphology and microstructure of the composites were characterized with SEM, FT-IR, BET, XRD and UV-visible spectrophotometer. The purpose of this study were synthesize TiO2-MWCNT (cocoPAS) composite and evaluate its performance for photodegradation phenol. It was found that the degree of photodegradation of phenol under UV light was highly dependent on the concentration of phenol and the degradation temperature. The presence of MWCNT worked as the adsorbent and electron acceptor to efficiently enhance the phenol photodegradation. The as-prepared nanotubes, with surfactant contents, showed high- photocatalytic activities with increase degradation. These results indicate that TiO2 – MWCNT (cocoPAS)composites using cocoPAS can be used to enhance degradation and can expand potential applications for the degradation of organic pollutants.