Use of TiO2 for the Protection of Aquatic Ecosystems

The use of modern chemical methods for the protection of aquatic ecosystems has become increasingly important. These methods are applied to remove toxic organic pollutants. This study presents a method for the remediation of water contaminated with toxic phenol using nanotechnology. The main objectives were: (1) to investigate the photochemical degradation of phenol by TiO2 nanoparticles in both nitrogen-doped and nitrogen-free systems; and (2) to determine the adsorption properties of rutile-phase TiO2 nanoparticles. Photochemical reactions were performed using TiO2 nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 10 to 32 nm, which were synthesized via the sol-gel method. The nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the adsorption behavior of TiO2 nanoparticles was examined.