Photocatalytic degradation of sulfamonomethoxine by mesoporous phosphorus-doped titania under simulated solar light irradiation.

Abstract Photocatalytic degradation of sulfamonomethoxine (SMM) by mesoporous phosphorus-doped TiO2 (P–TiO2) was studied under simulated solar light irradiation. The morphological structure and chemical composition of P–TiO2 were analyzed by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, BET, XPS and FTIR. Using the central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM), the degradation of SMM was investigated with a range of antibiotic concentrations (4–8 mg L−1), catalyst dosages (400–900 mg L−1), P doping amounts (5–15 wt %) and irradiation time (90–150 min). The Ti–O–P bond formed during the calcination of TiO2, thereby generating plate-like P–TiO2, where P was uniformly distributed. Phosphorus doping can stabilize anatase TiO2, which has a larger specific surface area and a lower average particle and pore size than bare TiO2. The result obtained from the RSM model showed a significant correlation between the predicted values and the experimental results of SMM degradation (P