Heterogeneous photocatalytic reduction of chromium(VI) over TiO2 particles in the presence of oxalate: involvement of Cr(V) species.

Cr(VI) photocatalytic reduction experiments over TiO2 particles under near UV irradiation in the presence of excess oxalate were performed at acid pH (2 and 3) and under air and N2 bubbling. Initial photonic efficiencies for Cr(VI) reduction are nearly the same under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, but show a significant increase at the lowest pH. At pH 2, the addition of oxalate facilitates Cr(VI) reduction, hindering the electron-shuttle mechanism taking place in pure water. The oxalate synergistic effect at pH 2 is lower than that previously found for EDTA and negligible at pH 3. Chromium(V) oxalate concentration profiles were obtained by EPR spectroscopy in the presence of excess oxalate at pH 1.5. Coordinated Cr(V) complexes [Cr(V)(O)(Ox)2]-, [Cr(V)(OH2)(Ox)2]-, and [Cr(V)(O)(OH)2(Ox)]- were identified, on the basis of the comparison of their corresponding g values with recent literature data. The kinetic analysis of the temporal evolution of the paramagnetic Cr(V) species indicates also an effective photocatalytic degradation of chromium(V) oxalate complexes. This new evidence reinforces previous findings regarding sequential one-electron-transfer processes in Cr(VI) photocatalytic reduction, suggesting that this route may represent a general behavior for the Cr(VI) reduction over UV-irradiated TiO2 particles.