Characteristic of an innovative TiO₂/Fe⁰ composite for treatment of azo dye

The major problem for Fe⁰ application is the degradation of performance as time due to the formation of a surface oxide layer and that for TiO₂ is the limit of the efficiency due to the recombination phenomenon. To overcome the problems as well as to improve the performance, our laboratory has been inventing a novel catalyst, which was developed by coating synthesized sol-gel-derived TiO₂ nanoparticles onto the surface of Fe⁰. This composite was employed on the degradation of azo dye (Acid Black-24) in the aqueous solution. Results from XPS, XRD and FE-SEM analysis indicated that the laboratory-prepared nanoscale TiO₂/Fe⁰ material is a composite of TiO₂ and Fe⁰. The nanoscale TiO₂/Fe⁰ composite with UV irradiation can efficiently decolour and reduce TOC from the simulated wastewater containing Acid Black-24. The efficiency of the TiO₂/Fe⁰ composite with UV irradiation on AB-24 reduction is much more efficient than microscale and nanoscale Fe⁰ and TiO₂ particle (P-25). The evidence shows that TiO₂ particles by sol-gel process were coated on the Fe⁰ particles surface, which is attributed to the longer life cycle of Fe⁰ reactivity.