Fixed beds were adopted for removal of organic dye from water by photocatalytic decomposition or adsorption. To this end, macroporous titania or silica micro-particles were synthesized from emulsions as micro-reactors and packed in the bed. During feeding aqueous methylene blue solution, UV light was irradiated for generation of active radicals for removal of dye by photocatalytic decomposition. Porous silica particles were also used as adsorbents in the bed for continuous adsorption of organic dye. For regeneration of the porous titania or silica particles, rinsing with fresh water was carried out before repeated cycles.

A ceria loaded carbon nanotubes (CeO2/CNTs) nanocomposites photocatalyst was prepared by chemical precipitation, and the preparation conditions were optimized using an orthogonal experiment method. HR-TEM, XRD, UV-Vis/DRS, TGA and XPS were used to characterize the photocatalyst. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption was employed to determine the BET specific surface area. The results indicated that the photocatalyst has no obvious impurities. CeO2 was dispersed on the carbon nanotubes with a good loading effect and high loading efficiency without agglomeration. The catalyst exhibits a strong ability to absorb light in the ultraviolet region and some ability to absorb light in the visible light region. The CeO2/CNTs nanocomposites photocatalyst was used to degrade azo dye Acid Orange 7 (40 mg/L). The optical decolorization rate was 66.58% after xenon lamp irradiation for 4 h, which is better than that of commercial CeO2 (43.13%). The results suggested that CeO2 loading on CNTs not only enhanced the optical decolorization rate but also accelerated the separation of CeO2/CNTs and water.

Zinc oxide is considered an outstanding photocatalyst candidate, but its low photo-corrosion resistance is a problem to be solved. In the ZnO-ZnS core-shell structure, ZnS acts as a protective layer for the ZnO core, and thus, it can enhance stability and long-term performance. The ZnO-ZnS core-shell structure is synthesized into various nanoscale morphologies with high specific surface areas to improve photocatalytic efficiency. However, they are easily agglomerated and are hard to separate from reaction media. In this study, micro-sized bumpy spheres of ZnO-ZnS core-shell structure were prepared via facile chemical transformation of as-prepared ZnO. After sulfurization of the ZnO template, it was confirmed through SEM, TEM, EDS, and XPS analysis that a uniform ZnS shell layer was formed without significant change in the initial ZnO morphology. The ZnO-ZnS core-shell microsphere has shown superior efficiency and stability in the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B compared with pristine ZnO microspheres