EFFECT OF CALCINATION TEMPERATURE ON THE COMPOSITION AND PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF NIGERIAN NATURAL ILMENITE, SPHALERITE AND WOLFRAMITE

📄 Project Abstract

The growing concern for environmental preservation and the search for new energy sources to replace the fossil fuels have received much attention over the last four decades. Photocatalysis is a promising solution to these challenges. It is therefore, pertinent to investigate local indigenous photocatalysts and to increase their efficiency under visible light irradiation. Although visible light active photocatalysts require chemical modifications, their overall efficiencies can be significantly enhanced by controlling the structure and morphology. This structural and morphological modification can be achieved by calcination. Ilmenite, a natural occurring mineral ore of titanium as a visible light induced photocatalyst was characterized using XRF, XRD and specific surface area analysis (Sear's method). Elemental analysis of the raw ore indicates elemental titanium and iron constitute 69.0% and 22.2%, respectively, as the major constituent. XRD patterns of the raw and calcined ilmenite de...