Photodegradation of phenol using titanium oxide and sulfated titanium oxide obtained by sol-gel [Fotodegradación de fenol utilizando titania y titania sulfatada obtenidas por SOL-GEL]

Pure titanium dioxide was prepared by sol gel method and it was sulfated at 5, 7.5 and 10 weight [%25] of sulfate ions. Materials were evaluated in the photocatalityc degradation of a 50 ppm phenol solution using 90 cm3/min of oxygen (O2) or ozone (O3) as oxidizing agents and ultraviolet light (UV) with 0.25 and 0.5 grams of catalyst. The sulfate ions promoted the stabilization of anatase phase and increase the surface area of these materials; on the other hand, with the titanium dioxide prepared by sol gel a mixture of rutile and anatase was obtained. Phenol degradation in presence of oxygen was of 98[%25] versus 55[%25] obtained with TiO2prepared by sol gel and around 80[%25] with sulfated samples. The sulfatation improved the mineralization sensibly overcoming to the commercial catalyst. In the degradation tests in presence of ozone, the total degradation of the phenol was obtained with all the catalysts at different times of reaction, being obtained with the titanium dioxide with a content of 5[%25] of ions sulfate a maximum in the mineralization, 96[%25] against 93[%25] of titanium dioxide solgel and 91[%25] with the commercial TiO2in 60 minutes of reaction.

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