In this paper, α–Fe2O3 photocatalyst with enhanced solar–driven photocatalytic activity was obtained from natural local groundwater sediment using a chemical solution method with subsequent calcination. The phase structures and crystallite size characterized by X–ray diffraction. The morphology and the particle size were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The α–Fe2O3 was used as a catalyst to photodegrade MB under visible light illumination. The photocatalytic reaction rate constant of the α–Fe2O3 photocatalyst in the photocatalytic degradation of MB dye solution under LED light illumination with the presence of H2O2 was calculated to be 1.70×10–2 min–1. Moreover, the effect of H2O2 concentration on photocatalytic efficiency and the photocatalytic mechanism also were discussed.

In this paper, the groundwater sediment/titanium dioxide (Gs/TiO2) were prepared via a conventional calcination process using groundwater sediment from natural resource at Pasao, Uttaradit province, Thailand and commercial TiO2 as starting materials. The as–prepared were characterized by X–ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The photocatalytic activity toward the decomposition of agricultural residues (diazinon) at 247 nm was demonstrated under visible light irradiation for 120 min. The maximum experimental decomposition efficiency was 73.6% with the rate constant of 0.0102 min–1 for prepared Gs/TiO2 photocatalyst.