Combination of photocatalytic degradation and adsorption in dye removal by TiO2-chitosan-glycerol beads under natural sunlight

The synthesis of TiO2-chitosan-glycerol (TiCsG) beads was prepared to determine the optimum condition for dye removal under natural sunlight. By using the orthogonal array design with five parameters (ratio of TiO2/Chitosan, initial concentration of dyes, pH of solution, irradiation time, dose of TiCsG) to analyze their interaction such as well as optimizing the photocatalytic process. The significant parameters influent in the removal of Acid Blue 193, MO, NWY dyes were irradiation time (p = 0.011) and the ratio of TiO2/chitosan (p = 0.025), while the initial concentration of dyes, pH of dye solution and dose of TiCsG were unimportant factors with p > 0.05. The optimum of factors based on the ratio of signal per noise to attain the highest dye removal ability of TiCsG was the percentage of TiO2/chitosan = 2 % w/w (level 2), initial concentration of dye at level 5 (10 mg/L of AB 193, 5 mg/L for MO and 100 mg/L for NWY), pH =4.5 (level 2), irradiation time =1.5 h (level 5) and dose of TiCsG =0.2 g/mL (level 4).

Application of EPR Spectroscopy in TiO2 and Nb2O5 Photocatalysis

The interaction of light with semiconducting materials becomes the center of a wide range of technologies, such as photocatalysis. This technology has recently attracted increasing attention due to its prospective uses in green energy and environmental remediation. The characterization of the electronic structure of the semiconductors is essential to a deep understanding of the photocatalytic process since they influence and govern the photocatalytic activity by the formation of reactive radical species. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a unique analytical tool that can be employed to monitor the photoinduced phenomena occurring in the solid and liquid phases and provides precise insights into the dynamic and reactivity of the photocatalyst under different experimental conditions. This review focus on the application of EPR in the observation of paramagnetic centers formed upon irradiation of titanium dioxide and niobium oxide photocatalysts. TiO2 and Nb2O5 are very well-known semiconductors that have been widely used for photocatalytic applications. A large number of experimental results on both materials offer a reliable platform to illustrate the contribution of the EPR studies on heterogeneous photocatalysis, particularly in monitoring the photogenerated charge carriers, trap states, and surface charge transfer steps. A detailed overview of EPR-spin trapping techniques in mechanistic studies to follow the nature of the photogenerated species in suspension during the photocatalytic process is presented. The role of the electron donors or the electron acceptors and their effect on the photocatalytic process in the solid or the liquid phase are highlighted.

Electrospinning preparation of g-C3N4/Nb2O5 nanofibers heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water

In this study, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and niobium pentoxide nanofibers (Nb2O5 NFs) heterojunction was prepared by means of a direct electrospinning approach combined with calcination process. The characterizations confirmed a well-defined morphology of the g-C3N4/Nb2O5 heterojunction in which Nb2O5 NFs were tightly attached onto g-C3N4 nanosheets. Compared to pure g-C3N4 and Nb2O5 NFs, the as-prepared g-C3N4/Nb2O5 heterojunction exhibited remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of rhodamine B and phenol under visible light irradiation. The enhanced catalytic activity was attributed predominantly to the synergistic effect between g-C3N4 sheets and Nb2O5 NFs, which promoted the transferring of carriers and prohibited their recombination, confirmed by the measurement of transient photocurrent responses and photoluminescence spectra. In addition, the active species trapping experiments indicated that superoxide radical anion (·O2–) and hole (h+) were the major active species contributing to the photocatalytic process. With its high efficacy and ease of preparation, g-C3N4/Nb2O5 heterojunction has great potentials for applications in treatment of organic pollutants and conversion of solar energy.

Photocatalytic removal of Malachite green dye from aqueous solutions by nano-composites containing titanium dioxide: A systematic review

Background: Malachite green (MG) is widely used as a fungicide, Bactericide parasiticide in the aquaculture industry, as a food additive, medical disinfectant, and also, as a dye for materials such as silk, leather, paper, etc. In this study, the photocatalytic removal of MG from aqueous solutions using TiO2-containing nanocomposites was reviewed. Methods: In this study, four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Scopus) were systematically searched to collect studies on the decomposition of MG using nanocomposites containing TiO2 under UV light radiation. Results: In total, 10 related and eligible studies were selected. Based on the results, TiO2 was doped with iron, Sn, Ag, Si, and Ni. The highest percentage of photocatalytic decomposition for MG was observed in Sn > Ni > Ag > Fe > Si. The removal efficiency of MG in the studied papers was between 75%-100%. Conclusion: Recombinant nanocomposites had a higher dye removal percentage than uncombined ones because they play an important role in the photocatalytic process of dye, by producing free radicals.

Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 over Iron-Modified g-C3N4 Photocatalysts

Pure g-C3N4 sample was prepared by thermal treatment of melamine at 520 °C, and iron-modified samples (0.1, 0.3 and 1.1 wt.%) were prepared by mixing g-C3N4 with iron nitrate and calcination at 520 °C. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared materials was investigated based on the photocatalytic reduction of CO2, which was conducted in a homemade batch reactor that had been irradiated from the top using a 365 nm Hg lamp. The photocatalyst with the lowest amount of iron ions exhibited an extraordinary methane and hydrogen evolution in comparison with the pure g-C3N4 and g-C3N4 with higher iron amounts. A higher amount of iron ions was not a beneficial for CO2 photoreduction because the iron ions consumed too many photogenerated electrons and generated hydroxyl radicals, which oxidized organic products from the CO2 reduction. It is clear that there are numerous reactions that occur simultaneously during the photocatalytic process, with several of them competing with CO2 reduction.

Fabrication of La2O3/g-C3N4 Heterojunction with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of Tetracycline Hydrochloride

In this study, La2O3/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalysts doped with different dosages of La2O3 were constructed by a facile ultrasound-assisted calcination approach. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, XPS, PL and DRS to verify the composite photocatalysts’ purity and to investigate their structural, morphological and elemental composition, and their energy band. According to the results, a type of pure rod–sheet-shaped, heterostructured nanoparticle was successfully obtained. Decorated with 10% La2O3, 2 g/L of the composite sample had a 93% degradation rate for 20 mg/L tetracycline hydrochloride within 2 h under visible light at a pH of 7. After four successive photocatalytic runs, satisfactory stability and reusability was exhibited, with 70% of the tetracycline hydrochloride being removed in the final experiment. Electrons (e−), photogenerated holes (h+), superoxide radical anions (O2−) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) were the fundamental active species during the photocatalytic process and were investigated via quenching experiments. Furthermore, possible photocatalytic mechanisms were analyzed in this work.