Photocatalytic mineralisation of perchloroethylene using titanium dioxide

The photocatalytic mineralisation of perchloroethylene (PCE) is demonstrated mainly in terms of CO 2 formation to investigate the effects of various factors such as dissolved oxygen (DO), titanium dioxide semiconductor (TiO 2 ) catalyst dosage, PCE concentration and pH on PCE photocatalysis. PCE was rapidly adsorbed onto the TiO 2 particles followed by its gradual degradation, and CO 2 production started after a short lag time that corresponded to the adsorption phase. The rate of CO 2 formation increased with increasing DO, TiO 2 dosage and PCE concentration. There was no significant effect of initial pH on the CO 2 production rate over a wide pH range. The dependence of the CO 2 formation on PCE concentration was found to obey the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. No intermediates were detected during PCE degradation and PCE degradation followed a first-order reaction.