Photocatalytic degradation of diesel pollutants in seawater by using ZrO2(Er3+)/TiO2 under visible light

Abstract Photocatalytic degradation of diesel pollutants in seawater and the effects of factors on the effectiveness of composite photocatalysts are studied in this paper by using ZrO 2 (Er 3+ )/TiO 2 under visible light and changing doping ratio of catalysts, pH value, dose of catalysts, illumination time, and initial concentration of diesel. The degradation of diesel pollution in seawater was optimized by orthogonal experiment. According to the results, the degradation rate of diesel is around 30% without any catalysts (only by evaporation for 2.0 h). The best effect exists when the initial concentration of diesel is 0.20 g/L, the dose of catalysts is 0.8 g/L, the doping ratio of catalysts is 0.4, the pH value is 7, and the illumination time is 2.5 h. The degradation rate of diesel can reach 87.74%. ZrO 2 (Er 3+ )/TiO 2 can effectively degrade the diesel pollutants in seawater under visible light.