Photocatalytic Membranes for Efficient Water Treatment

Membrane processes which combine the physical separation through filtration and pollutant degradation or antibacterial properties achieved by photocatalysis in a single unit are gaining popularity as wastewater treatment alternatives. There has been considerable progress in the development of photocatalytic membranes through incorporation of metal-oxide photocatalysts to enhance the performance of the membranes. An optimum amount of the photocatalyst should be incorporated into the membrane in order to realise reasonable photocatalytic activity with minimal consequences on water flux. Besides TiO2 loading, membrane performance is also affected by light intensity and irradiation time. This chapter highlights some of the recent progresses in photocatalytic membrane fabrication, reactor configuration and membrane application in disinfection and pollutant removal from wastewater

Platinum Group Metal Based Nanocatalysts for Environmental Decontamination

Research and development in chemical engineering is currently focused on design of highly active and selective catalytic systems for process intensification. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of catalysts based on nanosized metal particles to improve catalytic processes. Among the many metal catalysts, platinum group metals (PGMs) have received greater attention because of their physical and catalytic properties. They have found applications in a wide range of chemical conversion and environmental decontamination reactions due to their chemical stability and enhanced catalytic reactivity in the nano range. This chapter reviews some of the major innovative applications of PGM nanocatalysts for catalytic environmental decontamination

Nitrogen/palladium-codoped TiO² for efficient visible light photocatalytic dye degradation

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Mixed matrix PVDF membranes with in-situ synthesized PAMAM dendrimer- like particles: A new class of sorbents for Cu(II) recovery from aqueous solutions by ultrafiltration

A one-pot method for the preparation of a new family of mixed matrix polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes with in-situ synthesized poly(amidoamine) [PAMAM] particles is described. The key feature of this membrane preparation method is the in-situ synthesis of PAMAM dendrimer-like particles in the dope solutions prior to membrane casting using low-generation dendrimers with terminal primary amine groups (G0 and G1-NH2) as precursors and epichlorohydrin (ECH) as cross-linker. By using a combined thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) and non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) casting process, a new family of asymmetric PVDF ultrafiltration membranes with (i) neutral and hydrophilic surface layers of average pore diameters of 22−45 nm, (ii) high loadings (∼48 wt %) of dendrimer-like PAMAM particles with average diameters of ∼1.3−2.4 μm, and (iii) matrices with sponge-like microstructures characteristic of membranes with strong mechanical integrity were successfully prepared. Preliminary experiments show that these new mixed matrix PVDF membranes can serve as reusable high capacity sorbents for Cu(II) recovery from aqueous solutions by ultrafiltration

Visible light photodegradation of methyl orange and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in wastewater

Water pollution due to dyes and pathogens is problematic worldwide, and the disease burden is higher in low-income countries where water treatment facilities are usually inadequate. Thus the development of low-cost techniques for the removal of dyes and pathogens in aquatic systems is critical for safeguarding human and ecological health. In this work, we report the fabrication and use of a photocatalyst derived from waste from coal combustion in removing dyes and pathogens from wastewater. Higher TiO2 loading of the photocatalyst increased the removal efficiency for methyl orange (95.5%), and fluorine-doping improved the disinfection efficacy from 76% to 95% relative to unmodified material. Overall, the work effectively converted hazardous waste into a value-added product that has potential in point-of-use water treatment. Future research should focus on upscaling the technique, investigating the fate of the potential of the photocatalysts for multiple reuse, and the recovery of TiO2 in treated water. Significance: • The study provides a pathway for the fabrication of a value-added product from coal fly ash waste.• The use of the proposed nanocomposite material for wastewater treatment represents a potentially affordable, simple, and sustainable technology for point-of-use water treatmen

Composite polyester membranes with embedded dendrimer hosts and bimetallic Fe/Ni nanoparticles: synthesis, characterisation and application to water treatment

This study describes the preparation, characterization and evaluation of new composite membranes with embedded dendrimer hosts and Fe/Ni nanoparticles. These new reactive membranes consist of films of cyclodextrin–poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers (β-CD–PPI) that are deposited onto commercial polysulfone microporous supports and crosslinked with trimesoyl chloride (TMC). The membranes were subsequently loaded with Fe/Ni nanoparticles and evaluated as separation/reactive media in aqueous solutions using 2,4,6-trichlorophenol as model pollutant. The morphology and physicochemical properties of the composite membranes were characterised using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), atomic force microscopy and measurements of contact angle, water intake, porosity and water permeability. The sorption capacity and catalytic activity of the membranes were evaluated using ion chromatography, atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry and UV–Vis spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The sizes of the embedded Fe/Ni nanoparticles in the membranes ranged from 40 to 66 nm as confirmed by HR-TEM. The reaction rates for the dechlorination of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol ranged from 0.00148 to 0.00250 min−1. In all cases, we found that the reaction by-products consisted of chloride ions and mixtures of compounds including phenol (m/z = 93), 2,4-dichlorophenol (m/z = 163) and 4-chlorophenol (m/z = 128). The overall results of this study suggest that β-CD–PPI dendrimers are promising building blocks for the synthesis of composite and reactive membranes for the efficient removal of chlorinated organic pollutants from water

Photocatalytic performance of nitrogen-platinum group metal co-doped Tio2 supported on carbon nanotubes for visible-light degradation of organic pollutants in water

D.Phil. (Chemistry)Elimination of toxic organic compounds from wastewater is currently one of the most important subjects in water-pollution control. Among the many organic pollutants are dyes and emerging pollutants such as natural organic matter (NOM). Dyes such as Eosin Yellow (EY), an anionic xanthene fluorescent dye, can originate from many sources such as textile industrial processes, paper pulp industries and agricultural processes. Most dyes are problematic because they are resistant to conventional chemical or biological water-treatment methods and therefore persist in the environment. NOM consists of a highly variable mixture of products found in water and soils. NOM is formed as a result of the decomposition of plant and animal material and is a precursor to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBP) during water disinfection. These organic compounds cause undesirable colour, taste and odour in water. NOM affects the capacity of other treatment processes to effectively remove organic micro-pollutants or inorganic species that may be present in the water. Its removal also uses up chemicals and energy and so it is expensive to treat. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has emerged as one of the most fascinating materials in the modern era due to its semiconducting and catalytic properties. TiO2 is a large band-gap semiconductor that exists mainly in the anatase (band gap 3.2 eV) and rutile (band gap 3.0 eV) phases. Its response to UV light has led to increased interest in its application in the photocatalysis research field. It has been investigated extensively for its super hydrophilicity and use in environmental remediation and solar fuel production. In spite of extensive efforts to apply TiO2 for environmental remediation, photocatalytic activity in the visible region has remained quite low hence the ultimate goal of this research was to fabricate highly photoactive catalysts composed of non-metal, platinum-group metal (PGM) co-doped TiO2 and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and to apply them for water purification using solar radiation..