The photocatalytic degradation of dyes （Acid Chrome Blue K （ACBK） and Alizarin Red （AR）） with strong complexation ability was investigated in the presence of metal ions under visible light irradiation. It was found that, at low dye-metal ratio, the photodegradation of ACBK was markedly inhibited by the addition of high oxidative potential Cu2＋. However, at high dye-metal ratio, the presence of Cu2＋ enhanced the photodegradation of ACBK. The negtive effect of Cu2＋ on the photodegradation of AR was observed for all dyemetal ratios. The relative chemical inert Zn2＋ tended to enhance the photodegradation of both anionic dyes. The mechanism underlying the different effect of Cu2＋ was discussed from the different roles of surface-adsorbed and dye-coordinated Cu2＋ in the photodegradation of dyes.
An activated carbon （AC） supported Pd catalyst was used to develop a highly efficient in situ adsorption-catalysis system for the removal of low concentrations of o-xylene. In this study, three kinds of Pd/AC catalysts were prepared and tested to investigate the synergistic efficiency between adsorption and catalysis for o-xylene removal. The Pd/AC catalyst was first used as an adsorbent to concentrate dilute o-xylene at low temperature. After saturated adsorption, the adsorbed o-xylene was oxidized to CO2 and H20 by raising the temperature of the catalyst bed. The results showed that more than 99% of the adsorbed o-xylene was completely oxidized to CO2 over a 5% Pd/AC catalyst at 140℃. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） analysis, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, temperatureprogrammed desorption （TPD）, and temperature-programmed oxidation （TPO） were applied to investigate the physical properties of o-xylene adsorption-desorption and the in situ adsorption-catalysis activity of the AC support and Pd/AC catalyst. A synergistic relationship between the AC support and the active Pd species for the removal of low concentrations of o-xylene was established.
HUANG Shaoyong, ZHANG Changbin, HE Hong Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
The activities of CeO2 nanocubes calcined at different temperatures were tested for catalytic oxidation of o-xylene. Using CeO2 nanocubes as catalysts, complete catalytic oxidation of o-xylene was achieved below 210℃. The CeO2 nanomaterials were characterized by means of BET, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. From the TEM images, all CeO2 nanocubes displayed cubic morphology irrespective of calcination temperature. The HRTEM images revealed that these nanocubes were enclosed by reactive {001} planes, which may contribute to the intrinsically catalytic property of o-xylene oxidation. The higher activity of CeO2 nanocubes calcined at 550℃ than those calcined at above 550℃ was attributed to their smaller crystallite size and larger surface area. The influences of reaction conditions were also studied, which found that a higher reaction temperature was necessary for complete catalytic oxidation of o-xylene at higher weight hourly space velocity （WHSV） and o-xylene concentration.
