A ternary composite of TiO2 and a SiO2-Al2O3 aerogel with good photocatalytic activity was prepared by a simple sol-gel method with TiO2 nanoparticles and SiO2-Al2O3 aerogels derived from industrial fly ash.The structural features of the TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3 aerogel composite were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy,gas adsorption measurements and diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy.The optimal conditions for photocatalytic degradation of 2-sec-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol（DNBP],included an initial DNBP concentration of 0.167 mmol/L at pH = 4.86 with a catalyst concentration of 6 g/L,under visible light irradiation for 5 h.A plausible mechanism is proposed for the photocatalytic degradation of DNBP.Our composite showed higher photocatalytic activity for DNBP degradation than that of pure TiO2.This indicates that this material can serve as an efficient photocatalyst for degradation of hazardous organic pollutants in wastewater.
