Degradation of furfural in contaminated water by titanium and iron oxide nano photocatalyst based on the natural zeolite(clinoptilolite)

In this study, the performance of advanced oxidation process using titanium and iron oxides based on the natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) as nano photocatalyst was studied and the effects of various factors on the furfural degradation such as pH, dosage of catalyst, initial concentration of furfural and contact time were examined. The co-precipitation method was applied for the synthesis of nano photocatalyst. The SEM and XRD analyses showed a uniform distribution of titanium dioxide and iron nanoparticles on the zeolite.The furfural degradation could successfully happen at neutral to alkaline solutions. Moreover, increasing the amount of catalyst does not have significant effects on the degradation efficiency. By enhancement of the initial concentration of furfural, the rate of degradation decreases. The maximum efficiency of 98% could be achieved within 120 minutes.