Abstract
The optimization of p-nitrophenol photodegradation was studied in presence of two different TiO
2
-K10 catalysts. One was calcinated in an oven and the other was microwaved. Both catalysts were characterized by a combination of techniques (XRD, XPS, BET, ICP-OES, SEM/EDX). Obtained results show that the microwaved material has higher TiO
2
crystallinity and higher titanium amount compared to the calcined one. However, the latter has higher specific surface area and higher superficial titanium content compared to the microwaved one. The optimization process was conducted with the central composite design coupled to response surface methodology allowing a rigorous estimation and comparison of the catalysts’ activity. The effect of the initial p-nitrophenol concentration solution and its pH and the reaction time were investigated and visualized by three-dimensional response surfaces. It was concluded that the calcined photocatalyst is more efficient in p-NP photodegradation than the microwaved one, but microwaved material allows to achieve interesting photodegradation percentages in less time.