TiO₂/Carbon Composites Prepared from Rice Husk and the Removal of Bisphenol A in Photocatalytic Liquid System

The improved photocatalytic performance of a carbon/$TiO_2$ composite was studied for the Bisphenol A (BPA) decomposition. Titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and a rice husk from Korea were heterogeneously mixed as the titanium and carbon sources, respectively, for 3 h at room temperature, and then thermally treated at $600^{\circ}C$ for 1 h in $H_2$ gas. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the bulk carbon partially covered the $TiO_2$ particles, and the amount that was covered increased with the addition of the rice husk. The acquired carbon/$TiO_2$ composite exhibited an anatase structure and a novel peak at $2{\theta}=32^{\circ}$, which was assigned to bulk carbon. The specific surface area was significantly enhanced to 123~164 $m^2/g$ in the carbon/$TiO_2$ composite, compared to $32.43m^2/g$ for the pure $TiO_2$. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the Ti-O bond was weaker in the carbon/$TiO_2$ composite than in the pure $TiO_2$, resulting in an easier electron transition from the Ti valence band to the conduction band. The carbon/$TiO_2$ composite absorbed over the whole UV-visible range, whereas the absorption band in the pure$TiO_2$ was only observed in the UV range. These results agreed well with an electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) study that showed that the electrons were rapidly transferred to the surface of the carbon/$TiO_2$ composite compared to the pure $TiO_2$. The photocatalytic performance of the BPA removal was optimized at a Ti:C ratio of 9.5:0.5, and this photocatalytic composite completely decomposed 10.0 ppm BPA after 210 min, whereas the pure $TiO_2$ achieved no more than 50% decomposition under any conditions.