Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-Dichloro- phenoxyacetic acid by Cu2Fe2-xO3/TiO2

Abstract

As a result of human activity, large volumes of pollutants are released into the environment

each year. Pesticides are widely used in agriculture and are one class of problematic com- pounds. There are growing concerns over public health due to the high toxicity of some of

the pesticides. A promising and affordable way to degrade pollutants in water is to use photocatalysis. However, it is problematic to remove photocatalysts from treated water. Thus, it is of pivot importance to develop reusable and easily extractable photocatalysts. In this BSc thesis, photocatalyst based on mixture of TiO2 and CuxFe2-xO3 was synthesized.

The photocatalyst was characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray absorp- tion spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV-VIS spec- troscopy. Furthermore, the performance of synthesized material was tested by measuring

photocatalytic degradation of standard contaminant methylene blue and herbicide 2,4-D Un- der UV-A light.

The results of this study will contribute to the development of technologies for degrading hazardous pesticides.