Use of Synthetic Iron Oxide-Doped Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Photocatalytic Degradation of BTX from Petroleum Wastewater

The aim of the work is to investigate the use of synthetic doped catalyst in the removal of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) from petroleum wastewater by photocatalyst process in a circular column reactor. Fe₂O₃-doped anatase TiO₂ with 10 nm average grain size was synthesized by the impregnation method. The prepared doped catalyst was characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Surface Area Analysis using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) beforehand with XRD. Then it is evaluated in a photocatalyst process A which was done in a circular column with dimensions of 70 mm diameter and 390 mm height, under visible light. The study also shows the influence of pH, light intensity and residence time on the BTX removal. The experiment was carried out under different values of pH (3‒11), light intensity 14‒42 W and irradiation time 30‒120 min. The results show that the maximum removal efficiency was 90% when pH 6.5, 42 W light intensity and after 120 min. The kinetic model as well as Adsorption isotherm were also studied.