ABSTRACT
Heterogeneous photocatalysis has emerged as an attractive remediation technology for the treatment of environmental pollution. TiO2 is one of the most widely researched photocatalysts because of its low cost, non-toxicity, and stability. It can be synthesized in nanoscale by various methods for environmental remediation. However, for large-scale water treatment, the use of TiO2 is uneconomical as (i) it shows best activity on the absorption of UV light that is only 5% present in the solar spectrum, (ii) rapid recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes results in suppression of the photocatalytic efficiency, (iii) inefficient recovery of the finely powdered TiO2 from water. To address these problems, the development of a new alternative strategy is required to enhance optical absorption in the visible region as well as nanophase partition and recovery. Carbonaceous materials have unique and controllable properties and, therefore, attracted considerable attention for combining with TiO2 to enhance its photocatalytic activity. We have designed this chapter with the objective to deliver recent advances in the utilization of carbonaceous nanocomposites for photocatalytic removal of dyes present in textile effluents. The present chapter also discusses the types of carbonaceous nanocomposites, mechanism of enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 by carbonaceous materials.
