A new melting/calcinning method for preparing a titanium dioxide/bentonite composite material with high photo-catalytic activity is presented. The optimal conditions for the preparation are obtained by adjusting the ratio of TiO2/bentonite, reaction time, the melting and calcinning temperature, etc. The composite material is characterized by XKD and TEM. It is found that the TiO2 particles are highly spreaded and passed into the the lattice layer of bentonite. These particles enlarge the interlayer distance of the lattice and form many independent active centers for photo-catalysis. The photo- catalytic reaction is carried out in wastewater of dyestuff. The composite material prepared by the melting/calcinning method is highly active in degrading organic compounds. The decoloring ratio for bright red solution is 93.6%, much higher than pure TiO2 and other similar materials.

Key words: TITANIUM DIOXIDE, AMALGOSITE, WASTE WATER TREATMENT, DEGRADATION, PHOTOCATALYST, XRD, POTASSIUM PYROSULFATE