Vanadium doped titania nanoparticles for photocatalytic removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions

Sol-gel process with continuous ultrasonication was used to produce pure and vanadium doped titania powders. The amount of vanadium doped in titania was varied by using different initial concentrations of vanadium solutions. Scanning electron microscopy and particle size analyses showed formation of spherical shaped particles with diameter ranging from 3 to 11 nm. The average pore volume was 0.0248 cm³/g, and the surface areas of pure and V-doped titania were 62.9 and 66.1 m2/g, respectively. The maximum amount of vanadium doped on titania catalyst, as determined using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was 1.7 wt%, and the X-ray diffraction patterns showed the presence of mainly anatase form of titania. The photocatalytic activities of pure and V-doped titania were tested for methylene blue, and the metal uptake was found to increase from 10 mg/g for pure titania to 17 mg/g for V-doped titania. Adsorption isotherms for removal of lead and zinc from aqueous solutions were generated under ultraviolet exposure for 24 h, and the results revealed that the photocatalytic activity was enhanced when titania was doped with vanadium.