Kinetic studies in heterogeneous catalysis 5. Photocatalyzed Mineralization of Cresols in Aqueous Media with Irradiated Titania

Titania, Ti02, irradiated by ultraviolet/visible light was used to mediate the photocatalyzed degradation of ortho-cresol, meta-cresol, and para-cresol. The total photomineralization of these phenols to carbon dioxide and water occurs in air-equilibrated aqueous media. Two major hydroxylated aromatic intermediate species have been identified by liquid chromatographic methods: 4-methylcatechol and methylhydroquinone. Photochemical efficiencies (lower limits of quantum yields, 365 nm) of compound disappearance are, respectively, 0.0096, 0.0076, and 0.010 for o-, m-, and p-cresol. The effect of such parameters as pH, initial cresol concentration, and radiant power levels on the degradation of m-cresol was examined in detail. Although the photodegradation process kinetics show similarities with Langmuir-Hinshelwood-type behavior, namely saturation, it is shown that the resulting kinetic expression for the rate of degradation is a complicated function of various parameters and is silent as to the details of the initial photooxidative steps. It is implicitly argued, however, that the reaction takes place on the semiconductor particle surface