A Review on Nanomaterial as Photocatalysts for Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Recent advances in clay minerals for groundwater pollution control and remediation

Clay minerals are abundant on Earth and have been crucial to the advancement of human civilization. The ability of clay minerals to absorb chemicals is frequently utilized to remove hazardous compounds from aquatic environments. Moreover, clay-based adsorbent products are both environmentally acceptable and affordable. This study provides an overview of advances in clay minerals in the field of groundwater remediation and related predictions. The existing literature was examined using data and information aggregation approaches. Keyword clustering analysis of the relevant literature revealed that clay minerals are associated with groundwater utilization and soil pollution remediation. Principal component analysis was used to assess the relationships among clay mineral modification methods, pollutant properties, and the Langmuir adsorption capacity (Qmax). The results demonstrated that pollutant properties affect the Qmax of pollutants adsorbed by clay minerals. Systematic cluster analysis was utilized to classify the collected data and investigate the relationships. The pollution adsorption mechanism of the unique structure of clay minerals was investigated based on the characterization results. Modified clay minerals exhibited changes in surface functional groups, internal structure, and pHpzc. This review provides a summary of recent clay-based materials and their applications in groundwater remediation, as well as discussions of their challenges and future prospects.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes in Wastewater Using Solar Enhanced Nickel Oxide (NiO) Nanocatalysts Prepared by Chemical Methods

This study examined the surface morphology and photocatalytic activity of nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles prepared through a chemical method. The synthesized nanoparticle was characterized by using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Photocatalytic degradation of hazardous Eriochrome Black T (EBT) was carried out using the synthesized nanoparticle and the efficiency of the NiO used was determined. Highest degradation efficiency of 70% at 25 mg loading was observed at 40 min exposure time. The study concluded that the synthesized nanoparticles could be used in industrial wastewater treatment containing organic dyes.