Photocatalytic degradation of pentachlorophenol on TiO2 sol–gel catalysts

The photocatalytic degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in aqueous solution was investigated using TiO2 catalysts. The samples were prepared by the sol–gel method using different gelation pH and different calcination temperatures. The solids were characterized by specific surface area, X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis absorbance, FTIR and pentachlorophenol adsorption. The catalytic activity of the solids was evaluated in a conventional photoreactor at 298 K using 30 ppm of pentachlorophenol. It was found that the reaction follows a first-order reaction and the kinetic constant values change slightly with the pH of gelation and more significantly with the calcination temperature.