Fibrous TiO 2 Alternatives for Semiconductor-Based Catalysts for Photocatalytic Water Remediation Involving Organic Contaminants.

Autor: da Silva DRC; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada., Mapukata S; Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa., Currie S; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada., Kitos AA; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada., Lanterna AE; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada., Nyokong T; Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa., Scaiano JC; Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: ACS omega [ACS Omega] 2023 Jun 08; Vol. 8 (24), pp. 21585-21593. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jun 08 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00781
Abstrakt: Water decontamination remains a challenge in several developed and developing countries. Affordable and efficient approaches are needed urgently. In this scenario, heterogeneous photocatalysts appear as one of the most promising alternatives. This justifies the extensive attention that semiconductors, such as TiO 2 , have gained over the last decades. Several studies have evaluated their efficiency for environmental applications; however, most of these tests rely on the use of powder materials that have minimal to no applicability for large-scale applications. In this work, we investigated three fibrous TiO 2 photocatalysts, TiO 2 nanofibers (TNF), TiO 2 on glass wool (TGW), and TiO 2 in glass fiber filters (TGF). All materials have macroscopic structures that can be easily separated from solutions or that can work as fixed beds under flow conditions. We evaluated and compared their ability to bleach a surrogate dye molecule, crocin, under batch and flow conditions. Using black light (UVA/visible), our catalysts were able to bleach a minimum of 80% of the dye in batch experiments. Under continuous flow experiments, all catalysts could decrease dye absorption under shorter irradiation times: TGF, TNF, and TGW could, respectively, bleach 15, 18, and 43% of the dye with irradiation times as short as 35 s. Catalyst comparison was based on the selection of physical and chemical criteria relevant for application on water remediation. Their relative performance was ranked and applied in a radar plot. The features evaluated here had two distinct groups, chemical performance, which related to the dye degradation, and mechanical properties, which described their applicability in different systems. This comparative analysis gives insights into the selection of the right flow-compatible photocatalyst for water remediation.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.
(© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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