Simultaneous oxidation of NO and acetaldehyde over bare and Fe-modified TiO2 under visible light irradiation

Photocatalytic behavior of bare and Fe-modified TiO2 (0.4 wt% and 1 wt% of Fe loading, respectively) in the rutile phase was studied for the oxidation of NO and acetaldehyde under visible light irradiation. 0.4 wt% FeTiO2 photocatalysts showed the highest activity towards oxidation of NO and acetaldehyde when pollutants were used individually. Boosted activity of 0.4 wt% Fe-TiO2 can be attributed to abundant Fe-oxide-TiO2 interface acting as active sites during reaction process. Moreover, when NO and acetaldehyde were used simultaneously, complex and mutual influential photocatalytic activity was evident, depending on reactants concentrations and photocatalysts structures. Bare TiO2 showed high selectivity towards NO oxidation. Such complexity in mutual interactions between different pollutants on the photocatalyst surface is a crucial factor, which should be considered in real-world application of photocatalysts.