Gianina Huayna

In the present work, a TiO₂/zeolite photocatalyst was synthesized by dispersing TiO₂ nanoparticles obtained through the sol-gel method onto the surface of natural zeolite derived from ignimbrite residue. The zeolite was obtained from an ignimbrite rubble treatment collected from a quarry in Arequipa City, Peru. The research focused on the effect of zeolite on the TiO₂ nanoparticles. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using various techniques, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET). The results revealed that the TiO₂/zeolite samples displayed high crystallinity, with TiO₂ being present in three phases and zeolite being present in the analcime phase. Furthermore, these samples exhibited a band gap of 3.14 eV and a high surface area compared to that of bare TiO₂. Finally, the photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂/zeolite composite obtained was evaluated toward the decomposition of 10 ppm and 20 ppm of methyl orange (MO) dye. The TiO₂/zeolite samples demonstrated improved photocatalytic activity compared to that of pristine TiO₂ under the same experimental conditions. This enhancement is primarily attributed to the increased specific surface area of the TiO₂/zeolite samples, making them promising materials for future efficient and sustainable photocatalytic applications.