Modification of TiO2/AC catalyst for visible light degradation of ionic liquid contaminated wastewater: Effect of Cu loading on the characterization and efficiency

The emergence of ionic liquids (ILs) as a green substitute for the conventional volatile organic compound has attracted many researchers to keep synthesizing and improving ILs formula for enhanced performance in various industrial application. Due to the various possible combinations of cations and anions, the properties of the formulated ILs varies which directly affecting its toxicity and degradability. One of the major concerns over the use of ILs is the potential water pollution caused by cross contamination during the industrial processes. The present study reports on the photodegradation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C4mimCl), which is a common IL used in industry. The effect of Cu2+loading on the performance of TiO2/Activated carbon composite photocatalyst was studied. The modification of TiO2with Cu2+managed to shift the absorption edge of TiO2towards visible light region, with enhanced performance as compared to the pristine TiO2. Less agglomeration rate of the Cu-TiO2/AC in comparison to TiO2and TiO2/AC revealed the important role of metal dopant in suppressing the growth rate during the calcination process. The presence of activated carbon (AC) as support for the powdered TiO2has improved the diffusion rate of C4mimCl. The Cu-TiO2/AC composite photocatalyst containing 0.1 wt% of Cu showed the highest total degradation compared to other photocatalysts which is in agreement with the characterization analysis of the composite photocatalyst. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.