Highly Efficient Photo-Degradation of Gaseous Organic Pollutants Catalyzed by Diatomite-Supported Titanium Dioxide

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the most harmful contaminants that have been identified, most of which are gaseous organic pollutants. In this study, TiO2@diatomite catalysts with various loading amounts of TiO2 were fabricated using a facile solvothermal method with anhydrous ethanol as a solvent for the removal of VOCs. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that TiO2 has an anatase phase and the introduction of diatomite has no negative effect. The catalysts were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmittance electron microscopy techniques. The results indicate that after introducing diatomite, TiO2 nanoparticles are mostly square-like and intact, and are uniformly immobilized in the diatomite. Finally, their photocatalytic performance was investigated using liquid ultraviolet spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among the catalysts tested, 0.35TiO2@diatomite (with a mass ratio of TiO2 to diatomite of 0.35) exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than the other samples, i.e., pure TiO2 and diatomite, and could effectively remove acetone and benzene, demonstrating its potential market application and practical significance.