Photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic humic acid removal and selectivity of TiO2 coated photoanode

• Published in: Chemosphere
• Main Authors: Bekbolet, M., Selçuk, Hüseyin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Humic acid; Chlorine generation; Photocatalytic treatment; Photoelectrocatalytic treatment; Selectivity; Titanium dioxide; Organic acids; Biological materials; carbonic acid; chlorine; alkaline environment; electrode; experimental study; oxidation; pH; photodegradation; pollutant removal; total organic carbon; acidity; alkalinity; article; degradation; film; photocatalysis; ultraviolet spectroscopy; waste component removal; Catalysis; Humic Substances; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Photochemistry; Titanium; Waste Disposal; Fluid; Water Pollutants; Water Purification; Carbonic acid
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11499/7047; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.05.069

In this study, photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) treatment methods were comparatively investigated as a possible means of removing humic acid (HA) following absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) and total organic carbon (TOC) analysis. The enhanced HA degradation rates were obtained in the PEC system over the conventional PC process under acidic, neutral and alkaline conditions. Preliminary and binary experiments were performed to determine the selectivity of the photoanode in terms of HA and chloride oxidation. TOC, chlorine and photocurrent parameters proved that HA was selectively removed before chlorine generation. The inhibitory effect of carbonate ions on the performance of photoanode was also studied under different pH values. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.