TI2O3/TIO2-ASSISTED SOLAR PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF 4-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL IN WATER

Colored Ti2O3 and Ti2O3/TiO2 (mTiO) catalysts were prepared by the thermal treatment method. The effects of treatment temperature on the structure, surface area, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated by XRD, BET, SEM, TEM, Raman and UV–VIS spectroscopies. Phase transformation from Ti2O3 to TiO2 rutile and TiO2 anatase to TiO2 rutile increased with increasing treatment temperatures. The photocatalytic activities of thermally treated Ti2O3 and mTiO were evaluated in the photodegradation of 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BP) under solar light irradiation. mTiO heated at 650 C exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation and mineralization of 4-t-BP, being approximately 89.8% and 52.4%, respectively, after 150 min of irradiation. The effects of various water constituents, including anions (CO2 3 , NO3, Cl and HCO 3 ) and humic acid (HA), on the photocatalytic activity of mTiO-650 were evaluated. The results showed that the presence of carbonate and nitrate ions inhibited 4-t-BP photodegradation, while chloride and bicarbonate ions enhanced the photodegradation of 4-t-BP. As for HA, its effect on the degradation of 4-t-BP was dependent on the concentration. A low concentration of HA (1 mg/L) promoted the degradation of 4-t-BP from 89.8% to 92.4% by mTiO-650, but higher concentrations of HA (5 mg/L and 10 mg/L) had a negative effect

PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF 4-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL USING SOLAR LIGHT RESPONSIVE AG2CO3

In this work, Ag2CO3 was prepared via a solution-based method and was further characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM/EDS analysis, and UV-VIS spectroscopy. SEM results revealed the formation of micro-sized particles with a rectangular shape. The photocatalytic activity of the catalyst was evaluated in the degradation of 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BP) under simulated solar light irradiation. The effects of 4-t-BP initial concentration (2.5–10 ppm), catalyst dosage (100–300 mg/L), different types of lamp sources, and water matrix were investigated. Complete 4-t-BP (5 ppm) degradation was achieved after 60 min by Ag2CO3 (200 mg/L). The effect of anions such as CO32−, HCO3−, NO3−, and Cl- in the concentration range of 100–300 mg/L was also studied. CO32− promoted the photocatalytic degradation process, while HCO3− and NO3− exhibited an inhibition effect, which was marked with increasing HCO3− and NO3− concentrations. The presence of Cl− at the concentration of 100 mg/L increased 4-t-BP degradation, but higher concentrations inhibited the photocatalytic reaction. Cyclic experiments showed that the catalyst practically retained its catalytic activity toward 4-t-BP degradation after three successive experimental runs. Keywords: 4-tert-butylphenol; degradation; heterogeneous photocatalysis; solar ligh

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON UV-AOPS FOR EFFICIENT CONTINUOUS FLOW REMOVAL OF 4-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL

In the present study, UV-light-driven advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been employed for the degradation of 4-tert-Butylphenol (4-t-BP) in water under continuous flow conditions. The effects of varying space time (10, 20, 40, 60 and 120 min) and oxidant dosage (88.3 mg/L, 176.6 mg/L and 264 mg/L) were examined. 4-t-BP degradation efficiency in the UV-induced AOPs followed the order of UV/H2O2 (264.9 mg/L) ≈ UV/Fe2+/H2O2 > UV/Fe3+/H2O2 > UV/H2O2 (176.6 mg/L) > UV/H2O2 (88.3 mg/L) > UV/Fe-TiO2 > UV/TiO2 > UV, while UV/Fe3+/H2O2 was the most efficient process in terms of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removal (at the space time of 60 min) among those tested. The combination of UV with 88.3 mg/L H2O2 enhanced pollutant removal from 51.29% to 93.34% after 10 min of irradiation. The presence of H2O2 contributed to the highest 4-t-BP and TOC removal values. Interestingly, the increase in space time from 20 to 60 min resulted in surpassing of the activity of the Fe-TiO2 over commercial TiO2, although it had an almost negligible positive impact on the performance of the UV/H2O2 system as well as H2O2 concentration. The results obtained showed that more than 80% of 4-t-BP could be successfully degraded by both heterogeneous and homogeneous AOPs after 60 min

TiO₂/Zeolite Composites for SMX Degradation under UV Irradiation

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is a common antibiotic that is considered an emerging pollutant of water bodies, as it is toxic for various aquatic species. TiO2-based photocatalysis is a promising method for SMX degradation in water. In this work, TiO2/zeolite (Z-45 loaded with TiO2 labeled as TZ and ZSM-5 loaded with TiO2 labeled as TZSM) composites were prepared by mechanical mixing and liquid impregnation methods, and the photocatalytic performance of these composites (200 mg·L−1) was investigated toward the degradation of SMX (30 mg·L−1) in water under UV light (365 nm). The pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant of the TZSM1450 composite was 0.501 min−1, which was 2.08 times higher than that of TiO2 (k = 0.241 min−1). Complete SMX degradation was observed in 10 min using the UV/TZSM1450 system. The mineralization ability in terms of total organic carbon (TOC) removal was also assessed for all of the prepared composites. The results showed that 65% and 67% of SMX could be mineralized within 120 min of photocatalytic reaction by TZSM2600 and TZSM1450, respectively. The presence of Cl− and CO32− anions inhibited the degradation of SMX, while the presence of NO3− had almost no effect on the degradation efficiency of the UV/TZSM1450 system. The electrical energy per order estimated for the prepared composites was in the range of 68.53–946.48 kWh m−3 order−1. The results obtained revealed that the TZSM1450 composite shows promising potential as a photocatalyst for both the degradation and mineralization of SMX

DEGRADATION OF 4-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL IN WATER USING MONO-DOPED (M1: MO, W) AND CO-DOPED (M2-M1: CU, CO, ZN) TITANIA CATALYSTS

Mono-doped (Mo-TiO2 and W-TiO2) and co-doped TiO2 (Co-Mo-TiO2, Co-W-TiO2, Cu-Mo- TiO2, Cu-W-TiO2, Zn-Mo-TiO2, and Zn-W-TiO2) catalysts were synthesized by simple impregnation methods and tested for the photocatalytic degradation of 4-tert-butylphenol in water under UV (365 nm) light irradiation. The catalysts were characterized with various analytical methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Diffuse reflectance (DR) spectroscopies, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were applied to investigate the structure, optical properties, morphology, and elemental composition of the prepared catalysts. The XRD patterns revealed the presence of peaks corresponding to the WO3 in W-TiO2, Co-W-TiO2, Cu-W-TiO2, and Zn-W-TiO2. The co-doping of Cu and Mo to the TiO2 lattice was evidenced by the shift of XRD planes towards higher 2 values, confirming the lattice distortion. Elemental mapping images confirmed the successful impregnation and uniform distribution of metal particles on the TiO2 surface. Compared to undoped TiO2, Mo-TiO2 andW-TiO2 exhibited a lower energy gap. Further incorporation of Mo–TiO2 with Co or Cu introduced slight changes in energy gap and light absorption characteristics, particularly visible light absorption. In addition, photoluminescence (PL) showed that Cu-Mo–TiO2 has a weaker PL intensity than undoped TiO2. Thus, Cu-Mo-TiO2 showed better catalytic activity than pure TiO2, achieving complete degradation of 4-tert-butylphenol under UV light irradiation after 60 min. The application of Cu-Mo-TiO2 under solar light conditions was also tested, and 70% of 4-tert-butylphenol degradation was achieved within 150 min