Belgrade : Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known emerging contaminant that pose a severe threat to
human health due to its negative effect on the body’s endocrine systems. BPA is widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins and therefore often detected in different water environments. Since the conventional wastewater treatments for BPA removal haven’t been proven efficient it is important to find a green and efficient method for its complete elimination. Therefore, the aim of this work was to prepare a cost-effective hybrid photocatalyst based on TiO2 nanoparticles and natural zeolite clinoptilolite and study its photocatalytic performance toward BPA. The TiO2/clinoptilolite, containing 20 wt% of TiO2, was prepared using ultrasound assisted solid-state dispersion method and characterized using a multi-technique approach by combining X-ray powder diffraction, FTIR, UV Vis DRS spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), BET measurements and laser diffraction. The study showed complete removal of BPA (5 mg/L) after 180 minutes of simulated solar irradiation using 2 g/L of hybrid photocatalyst, at pH = 6.4. The addition of H2O2 led to a faster BPA removal after 120 minutes of irradiation. When BPA removal was tested in bottled drinking water a lower removal of 60 % after 180 minutes of irradiation was observed because of the presence of bicarbonate ions and its scavenger effect toward hydroxyl radicals. The reused photocatalyst showed good photocatalytic activity in repeated cycles (e. i. 70 % of BPA was still successfully removed at the end of the 4th cycle)
