Enhancement of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in surfactant/ceriurm(III)-titanium dioxide/float pearls aqueous dispersions

Ceriurm(III)-titanium dioxide/float pearls photocatalyst mixed with Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) were used to degrade methylene blue under visible light illumination. The photocatalyst of Ce3+-TiO2/float pearls was prepared by sol-gel method and characterised by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet-visible Diffuse Reflection Spectrum (UV-vis DRS) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS). The influence of pH value and dosage of SLS on the photocatalytic activity was studied. The result indicated that the presence of SLS cut down the surface tension of dye liquor, leading to obviously increased degradation rate. The photocatalytic degradation rate reached 93.49% under visible light radiation in 240 min, improved by 10.30% in the non-neutral aqueous.