Improved photocatalytic decomposition of methyl ethyl ketone gas from indoor air environment by using TiO2/graphene oxide

Abstract

This study investigates the potential application of synthesized TiO2-graphene (Ti/GO) for the decomposition of methyl ethyl ketone (MEKT) in an indoor air environment. XRD and UV-vis studies on the materials confirmed that GO is successfully reduced by TiO2. The effect of various parameters such as catalyst dose, the inlet concentration of MEKT, relative humidity (RH) and gas flowrate were investigated. TiO2-graphene showed greatly improved photocatalytic degradation of the MEKT gas (96.8%) from the indoor air, as compared to commercial TiO2 (32.7%) due to its lower band gap energy, larger specific surface area and the synergistic effect of the graphene nanosheet. The relative humidity was a key factor for the removal of MEKT by photocatalytic oxidation under visible light. The possible photocatalytic mechanism for the removal of MEKT from indoor environments using TiO2-graphene has been discussed in detail. The results are crucial for designing high-performing TiO2-graphene photocatalysts for the degradation of volatile compounds (VOCs) from indoor environments. - 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd.