Performance of CuTiO3 Photocatalytic Oxidation for Treating Organic Peroxide Production Wastewater Under Visible Light

To investigate the treatment performance of a CuTiO3 photocatalytic system for organic peroxide production wastewater under visible light, CuTiO3 powder prepared through the hydrothermal method was used for this experiment. The light absorption properties of the CuTiO3 catalyst were analyzed using UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS). The effects of the initial pH, photocatalyst dosage, light intensity, and reaction duration on the photocatalytic reaction were examined. Before and after the reaction, the changes in pollutant components in water were characterized via three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectrometry (3D-EEM) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS); the changes in the concentrations of some pollutants were analyzed via wavelength scanning. The results indicated that CuTiO3 has a good response to visible light. Under the optimized conditions (initial pH = 5, CuTiO3 dosage = 1.2 g/L, light intensity = 1300 W/m2, duration = 4 h), the COD removal rate reached 58%, and the B/C (BOD5/COD) ratio of wastewater increased from 0.112 to 0.221, demonstrating a good pretreatment effect. GC-MS analysis demonstrated significant degradation effects on amide and hydride substances. Radical capture experiments verified hydroxyl radicals as the dominant species in CuTiO3 photocatalysis. Visible-light photocatalysis using CuTiO3 provides an efficient pretreatment pathway for organic peroxide production wastewater.