Synthesis and Characterization of MCM-41 Nanomaterials Containing Titanium and Application for Catalytic Oxidation of BTEX

The TiO₂/MCM-41 nanomaterials were synthesized by impregnation with an excess solvent with different percentages of titanium dioxide. They were used for catalytic degradation of Benzene Toluene Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous media. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray Diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption using the BET method and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The nanostructured phase of the hexagonal ordered materials was obtained even after modification with titanium oxide and calcination. The characterizations have proven the effectiveness of the synthesis method used to incorporate titanium with anatase structure impregnated in the nanoporous of the MCM-41 material. Anatase is the main active phase of TiO₂ to oxidize organic compounds. The catalytic evaluation wascarried out in a semi-bath reactor with 20 mL of a mixture containing BTEX (100 mg/L), hydrogen peroxide (2.0 mol/L) and TiO₂/MCM-41 (2.0 g/L) in aqueous media. The reactions were carried out at a temperature of 60°C for 5 hours, and the analyses were performed by gas chromatography with a photoionization detector and headspace sampler. The catalytic tests showed satisfactory results with more than 95% of conversion, where the catalyst 48%TiO₂/MCM-41 presented higher performance.