Fe-Doped TiO2 Supported on HY Zeolite for Solar Photocatalytic Treatment of Dye Pollutants

Zeolite-supported TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2/zeolite photocatalysts were synthesized, aiming at improving the adsorption properties of the microporous support towards polluting dyes and the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 in the treatment of the adsorbed organics. The TiO2/HY zeolite catalyst exhibited the best performance in the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, MB, over 10 wt% TiO2/HY under UV light at 254 nm. The addition of Fe species in the synthesis mixture led to Fe-TiO2/HY catalyst. The combination of adequate zeolite, good titanium dioxide dispersion, and Fe doping led to a remarkable performance in the degradation of the model dye. Over a 10 wt% Fe-doped TiO2/HY catalyst a total removal of MB (>98%) was achieved after 60 min under very mild conditions and simple visible light irradiation.