Photocatalytic ozonation of terephthalic acid: a by-product-oriented decomposition study

Fuentes, Iliana; Rodríguez, Julia L.; Poznyak, Tatyana; Chairez, Isaac

Photocatalytic ozonation of terephthalic acid: a by-product-oriented decomposition study

2014

Fuentes, Iliana | Rodríguez, Julia L. | Poznyak, Tatyana | Chairez, Isaac

Terephthalic acid (TA) is considered as a refractory model compound. For this reason, the TA degradation usually requires a prolonged reaction time to achieve mineralization. In this study, vanadium oxide (VₓOy) supported on titanium oxide (TiO₂) served as a photocatalyst in the ozonation of the TA with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), having a bandwidth centered at 452 nm. The modified catalyst (VₓOy/TiO₂) in combination with ozone and LEDs improved the TA degradation and its by-products. The results obtained by this system were compared with photolysis, single ozonation, catalytic ozonation, and photocatalytic ozonation of VₓOy/TiO₂ with UV lamp. The LED-based photocatalytic ozonation showed almost the same decomposition efficiency of the TA, but it was better in comparison with the use of UV lamp. The oxalic acid accumulation, as the final product of the TA decomposition, was directly influenced by either the presence of VₓOy or/and the LED irradiation. Several by-products formed during the TA degradation, such as muconic, fumaric, and oxalic acids, were identified. Besides, two unidentified by-products were completely removed during the observed time (60 min). It was proposed that the TA elimination in the presence of VₓOy/TiO₂ as catalyst was carried out by the combination of different mechanisms: molecular ozone reaction, indirect mechanism conducted by ·OH, and the surface complex formation.

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