Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of Environmental Pollutants Using ZnO Prepared by Sol-Gel: 2, 4-Dichlorophenol as Case Study

The photocatalytic degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2,4DCP) in aqueous solution was carried out in batch process with ZnO prepared by sol-gel method. The effects of various factors, such as different calcinations temperatures and amount of catalyst were investigated for efficient degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol. The UV/Vis Spectrophotometer was used for analysing the concentration of 2, 4-dichlorophenol in solution at different time intervals during the experiment. The photocatalytic degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol was investigated by monitoring molecular absorbance at λ = 285 nm. The average solar intensity of ultra violet (UV) was recorded as 23 W/m2. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnO was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of initial concentration 50 mg/l of 2, 4-dichlorophenol. Optimum value of catalyst dose was found to be 2 g/l. The experimental results showed that the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 2, 4-dichlorophenol for 1 h irradiation time was up to 98 %.