Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a convenient tool for mercury(II) reduction, because it uses inexpensive chemicals and near-UV light. However, structural features of titania (band gap at 3.2 eV) make extending its optical absorption in the visible region difficult. This key factor results in low photocatalytic efficiency, as about only 5% of the solar spectrum is used. This study focuses on the characterization and evaluation of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The titania preparation method (commercial and sol-gel), the presence of metal on the surface of the oxide (2% wt. Ag), and the calcination temperature (350 and 500 degrees C) were evaluated. The characterization techniques used were: temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), determination of specific surface area (BET method), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and photoacoustic spectroscopy. The photocatalytic reduction of Hg2+ to Hg-0 was performed by aqueous solution containing formic acid. The results showed that the presence of Ag on the surface of TiO2 (commercial and sol-gel) decreased the band gap energy and increased the photoactivity efficiency, i.e., all the Hg2+ in the solution was reduced to Hg-0. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.