Sustainable Mining and Metallurgy

Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ nanocomposite photocatalyst was prepared by sol-hydrothermal-calcination method. The structure and morphology of the material were characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, specific surface area and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance analysis. Taking methyl orange solution as the target pollutant, the photocatalytic oxidation effect of Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ was investigated, and the effects of bismuth doping amount and calcination temperature on the degradation rate of methyl orange dye were studied. The results show that the average crystal size of Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ is smaller than that of TiO₂; particle distribution is uniform, only a small amount of loose agglomeration phenomenon; Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ has mesoporous structure, which is conducive to the absorption of pollutants. At the preparation temperature of 600℃, the Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ nanocomposites with 10% Bi doping have the best degradation effect for methyl orange removal. When the doping amount of Bi is 10%, the photocatalytic degradation effect of Bi₂O₃-TiO₂ increases with the increase of calcination temperature.