Almási Enikő

Baia Lucian

Czekes Zsolt

Hernádi Klára

Pap Zsolt

Rácz Ádám

Rákhely Gábor

Saszet Kata

English

University of Szeged

Natural Photocatalyst: Real Alternatives to the Synthesized Ones?  Kata Saszet1,2, Zsolt Czekes2,3, Lucian Baia1,2,4, Enikő-Eszter Almási5,6, Ádám Rácz7, Gábor Rákhely6,8, Klára Hernádi9 and Zsolt Pap2,4,6 1 Faculty of Physics, Babeș–Bolyai University, Mihail Kogălniceanu str. 1, RO-400084 Cluj–Napoca, Romania; 2 Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș – Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian str. 42,  RO-400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 3 Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș–Bolyai University, Gheorghe Bilașcu 44,  RO-400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 4 Advanced Materials and Applied Technologies Laboratory, Institute of Research-Development-Innovation in Applied Natural Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Fântânele str. 30, RO-400294, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 5 Vulcano Research Group, Department of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrology, University of Szeged, Egyetem Street 2, HU-6722 Szeged, Hungary 6 Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Szeged, Tisza Lajos blvd. 103, HU-6725 Szeged, Hungary 7 Institute of Raw Material Preparation and Environmental Processing, University of Miskolc, Egyetemváros, HU-3515, Miskolc, Hungary 8 Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor Street 52,  HU-6726 Szeged, Hungary 9 Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla sqr. 1, HU-6720 Szeged, Hungary   Photocatalytic materials, and generally semiconductors are widely spread in different application areas, including electronics, water cleaning, sensing applications and so much more. Human, financial and natural resources are intensively invested in the synthesis of novel semiconductor materials with special properties, which may be exploited in specific research fields. This is valid also for photocatalysis, as daily new materials, composites are being reported to have photocatalytic activity, therefore the research community invests increasing amount of resources in it. However, a major issue is mostly ignored when considering photocatalysts, that some of the natural materials (e.g. minerals) possess already photocatalytic activity which the research field ignores completely.  To gain knowledge in the field of photocatalytic minerals several photoactive minerals were acquired or collected in-situ, including rutile (TiO2), ilmenite (FeTiO3) and cuprite (Cu2O) and wet media milling was applied to obtain nanoparticles. It was found that these materials show photocatalytic activity and, in some cases, advance adsorption properties as well, which is lower than that of the synthesized powders, but in terms of price/efficiency ratio and target applications (removal of low concentration of organic pollutants) it was extremely efficient. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was correlated with the presence of different doping species and accompanying minerals. The ecotoxicological investigations of these materials carried out on Formica Polictena and Formica Pratensis showed, that in most of the cases the synthesized nanoparticles’ effect were more pronounced on the mortality and behavior of the insects, than that of the natural minerals.  Acknowledgement: The present work was financially supported by the project coded PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2016-1588 and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Bolyai János Scholarship. Furthermore, UNKP-19-3 Bolyai+ and Eötvös Lóránd Scholarship is also thanked. 34

Natural photocatalyst : real alternatives to the synthesized ones?

http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/76808/1/npm_005_paot_006_034.pdf

Natural photocatalyst : real alternatives to the synthesized ones?

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