Investigation of photocatalytic ozonation treatment of water over WO3 under visible light irradiation

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a highly efficient and environmentally friendly water treatment technique. Water treatment by photocatalytic ozonation over bare WO3 under visible light irradiation (O3/vis/WO3) system was performed under different experimental conditions using a phenol aqueous solution as model wastewater. The effects of parameters such as the initial phenol concentration, water temperature, and initial solution pH on the total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency in the O3/vis/WO3 system were investigated. The results suggest that the TOC removal process consists of three stages, and the combined effect of photocatalysis and ozonation, which is important for complete TOC removal, became dominant in the third stage. Furthermore, the TOC removal efficiency increased with increasing water temperature in the O3/vis/WO3 system.