Is surface fluorination of TiO2 effective for water purification? The degradation vs. mineralization of phenolic pollutants

Ice-templated synthesis of tungsten oxide nanosheets and their application in arsenite oxidation

Tungsten oxide (WO₃) nanosheets were prepared as catalysts to activate hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in arsenite (As(III)) oxidation. Ice particles were employed as templates to synthesize the WO₃ nanosheets, enabling easy template removal via melting. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed that the obtained WO₃ nanosheets were plate-like, with lateral sizes ranging from dozens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers and thicknesses of <10 nm. Compared to that of the WO₃ nanoparticle/H₂O₂ system, a higher efficiency of As(III) oxidation was observed in the WO₃ nanosheet/H₂O₂ system. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy, radical quenching studies, and As(III) oxidation experiments under anoxic conditions suggested that the hydroperoxyl radical (HO₂^●) acted as the primary oxidant. The WO₃ nanosheets possessed numerous surface hydroxyl groups and electrophilic metal centers, enhancing the production of HO₂^● via H₂O₂ activation. Various anions commonly present in As(III)-contaminated water exhibited little effect on As(III) oxidation in the WO₃ nanosheet/H₂O₂ system. The high oxidation efficiency was maintained by adding H₂O₂ when it was depleted, suggesting that the catalytic activity of the WO₃ nanosheets did not deteriorate after multiple catalytic cycles.

A microwave atmospheric plasma strategy for fast and efficient degradation of aqueous p-nitrophenol

Plasma technology has received intensive research interest in pollutants degradation. However, conventional plasma generator suffers from erosion of electrodes and consequent short life time and pollution. In this work, an electrodeless high-flow microwave atmospheric plasma jet is developed for fast degradation of p-nitrophenol. With the assistance of injection locking technology, stable plasma is managed to be generated by low-cost magnetron. 100% removal of 100 mg/L PNP is achieved after 12 min, with a TOC removal efficiency of 57.6%. The fast degradation is probably due to the high cross section (around 153 mm²) of plasma gas. Change in the removal efficiency are less than 4% and 5% as the pH of the solution changes from 2.02 to 12.07 and conductivity varies between 5^.38 × 10^-2 and 43.6 mS/cm, respectively. Moreover, optical emission spectroscopy spectra of the microwave plasma and a hydroxyl radical scavenger (t-butanol) are employed to identify the generated oxidizing species, which indicates that ^•OH is the key factor during the degradation process. The hydroxylated intermediates and organic acid transformed from PNP were revealed. Based on the examined intermediate products, the possible degradation mechanism and pathway are analyzed.

Oxygen vacancy engineering of cerium oxide for the selective photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic pollutants

The engineering of oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) allows the specific fine-tuning of their oxidation power, and this can be used to rationally control their activity and selectivity in the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of aromatic pollutants. In the current study, a facile strategy for generating exceptionally stable oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ NPs through simple acid (CeO₂-A) or base (CeO₂-B) treatment was developed. The selective (or mild) PCO activities of CeO₂-A and CeO₂-B in the degradation of a variety of aromatic substrates in water were successfully demonstrated. CeO₂-B has more oxygen vacancies and exhibits superior photocatalytic performance compared to CeO₂-A. Control of oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ facilitates the adsorption and reduction of dissolved O₂ due to their high oxygen-storage ability. The oxygen vacancies in CeO₂-B as active sites for oxygen-mediated reactions act as (i) adsorption and reduction reaction sites for dissolved O₂, and (ii) photogenerated electron scavenging sites that promote the formation of H₂O₂ by multi-electron transfer. The oxygen vacancies in CeO₂-B are particularly stable and can be used repeatedly over 30 h without losing activity. The selective PCOs of organic substrates were studied systematically, revealing that the operating mechanisms for UV-illuminated CeO₂-B are very different from those for conventional TiO₂ photocatalysts. Thus, the present study provides new insights into the design of defect-engineered metal oxides for the development of novel photocatalysts.

Different effects of fluoride and phosphate anions on TiO2 photocatalysis (rutile)

At the same amounts adsorbed on Pt/rutile, fluoride was approximately 3 times more active than phosphate. A radical mechanism is proposed.

Biodegradation of phenanthrene by biodemulsifier-producing strain Achromobacter sp. LH-1 and the study on its metabolisms and fermentation kinetics

Despite many reports of the use of biodegradation to remove contaminants, the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is challenging because of the hydrophobicities and low aqueous solubilities of most PAHs. In this study, phenanthrene (PHE) was used as a sole carbon and energy source to screen and identify Achromobacter sp. LH-1 for the production of biodemulsifiers that enhance the bioavailability and solubilization of PAHs. LH-1 achieved a 94% degradation rate and a 40% mineralization rate with 100 mg/L PHE. Additionally, LH-1 degraded various PAHs, and the factors that influenced the growth and PAHs degradation activity of LH-1 were not only the toxicities and structures of the substances but also the acclimation of LH-1 to these substances. Three kinetic models were used to describe the fermentation processes of cell growth, product formation and substrate degradation over time. Finally, multiple PHE degradation pathways were proposed to be utilized by strain LH-1.

The Combination of Hydrogen and Methanol Production through Artificial Photosynthesis-Are We Ready Yet?

Because 100 % quantum efficiency for the photosynthetic production of H₂ from H₂ O under visible illumination has been achieved recently, the oxidation of H₂ O to O₂ remains the bottleneck to the overall water-splitting reaction. Oxidation of CH₄ to CH₃ OH might be combined with water reduction instead, so that H₂ and CH₃ OH chemical fuels can be simultaneously produced through a one-step process under solar illumination. This combination would be a promising approach towards a more sustainable future of chemistry, in which developing different strategies for artificial photosynthesis is of paramount importance. By using free and adsorbed HO^. radicals on the semiconductor surface, CH₄ can be activated to H₃ C^. radicals and converted into CH₃ OH, respectively, with great selectivity up to 100 %. The present lack of efficient photosynthetic systems for the formation of H₂ and CH₃ OH from abundant H₂ O and CH₄ motivates future research for basic science and industrial applications.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole by zinc oxide photocatalyst in the presence of fluoride ions: Optimization of parameters and toxicological evaluation

The presence of antibiotics in water bodies has received increasing attention since they are continuously introduced and detected in the environment and may cause unpredictable environmental hazards and risks. The photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by ZnO in the presence of fluoride ions (F-ZnO) was evaluated. The effects of operating parameters on the efficiency of SMX removal were investigated by using response surface methodology (RSM). Under the optimum condition, i.e. photocatalyst dosage = 1.48 g/L, pH 4.7, airflow rate = 2.5 L/min and the concentration of fluoride ions = 2.505 mM, about 97% SMX removal was achieved by F-ZnO after 30 min of reaction. The mechanism of reactions, COD removal efficiency and reaction kinetics were also investigated under optimum operating conditions. In addition, about 85% COD reduction was obtained after 90 min photocatalytic reaction. The pseudo-first-order kinetics rate constants for the photodegradation of SMX were found to be 0.099, 0.058 and 0.048 min^-1 by F-ZnO, ZnO and TiO₂ (P25), respectively. The figure-of-merit electrical energy per order (E_EO) was used for estimating the electrical energy efficiency, which was shown to be considerably lower than the energy consumption for the reported research on removal of SMX by photocatalytic degradation under UV irradiation. Toxicity assays were conducted by measuring the inhibition percentage (PI) towards E. coli bacteria strain and by agar well diffusion method. The results showed that after 30 min of reaction, the toxicity of the treated solutions by all photocatalysts fell within the non-toxic range; however, the reduction in toxicity by F-ZnO was faster than those by ZnO and P25. Despite the positive effects of surface fluorination of ZnO on the SMX and COD removal and reaction kinetics, its lower stability compared to ZnO and P25 in the repeated experiments gave rise to some doubts about its performance from a practical point of view.