Highly efficient decomposition of organic dyes by aqueous-fiber phase transfer and in situ catalytic oxidation using fiber-supported cobalt phthalocyanine

Preparation of mesoporous ThO2 nanoparticles: Influence of calcination on morphology and visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of indigo carmine and methylene blue

The present article reports the synthesis of thoria nanoparticles (ThO₂ NPs) via sol-gel process and examines the effect of calcination temperature of ThO₂ on the morphology and photocatalytic degradation of indigo carmine (IC) and methylene blue (MB) under visible-light. As-synthesized white crystals of ThO₂ were subjected to calcination at different temperatures, viz. 700 °C (TH-700), 800 °C (TH-800), and 900 °C (TH-900). The effect of calcination temperature on the structural, morphological, thermal, surface area-porosity, and optical properties of ThO₂ NPs were investigated by diverse analytical techniques. XRD patterns show the cubic-space group Fm-3m (225) with parameter a = 5.597 Å and reveals crystallite sizes increased with calcination temperature. The bandgap energy was found to be 1.85 eV, 2.33 eV, and 2.71 eV for TH-700, TH-800, and TH-900 NPs, respectively, calculated by Kubelka-Munk (KM) plot. SEM and TEM unveil that the sample TH-700 calcined at a low temperature of 700 °C yields assembled nanosheets, while at higher temperatures, i.e., 800 °C (TH-800) and 900 °C (TH-900), produces agglomerated nanomaterials. Further, TH-700 sample exhibits enhanced photocatalytic degradation within 120 min for both IC and MB dye than TH-800 and TH-900 counterparts. Among the dyes, IC shows improved photocatalytic efficiency than MB for TH-700, owing to the increased optical absorption and improved separation of photogenerated charge carriers. The reusability study of TH-700 reveals that the catalysts were stable up to four successive cycles with no drastic changes in photocatalytic efficiency. Also, systematic photodisintegration of IC was investigated by Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Hydroxyl-/Carboxyl-Rich Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Graphene Oxide Composites for Efficient Photodegradation of Reactive Red 195 and Antibacterial Applications

In this work, a protonated graphitic carbon nitride (P-g-C₃N₄)-coated graphene oxide (GO) composite (GO/P-g-C₃N₄) was prepared via wet-chemistry exfoliation, followed by a freeze-drying process. The GO/P-g-C₃N₄ composite was found to have an outstanding photodegradation performance effect on the reactive red 195 (RR195) dye and very strong antibacterial properties. Both the GO structure and the dispersed state of P-g-C₃N₄ were found to play a significant role in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of GO/P-g-C₃N₄. The GO/P-g-C₃N₄ obtained via freeze-drying retained a large number of oxygen-containing groups and showed higher catalytic activity and reusability than the reduced GO (rGO)/g-C₃N₄ obtained via thermal reduction. Characterization of the samples indicates that GO/P-g-C₃N₄ has a higher specific surface area and photocurrent density than rGO/g-C₃N₄; it is likely that these properties lead to the superior photocatalytic activity observed in GO/P-g-C₃N₄. Adsorption energy calculations indicate that O₂ can be readily adsorbed onto the GO surface, which results in stronger oxidizing superoxide anion radicals (^•O₂^-) and holes (h⁺); these active radicals can rapidly degrade RR195 dyes. Moreover, broad-spectrum antibacterial activity (demonstrated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) was observed in the case of the GO/P-g-C₃N₄ composite irradiated with visible light. This work offers new insights into the design of cost-effective g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

Adsorption and desorption of malachite green by using chitosan-deep eutectic solvents beads

Chitosan-deep eutectic solvent (DES) beads were prepared from chitosan and DESs. The DESs used were choline chloride-urea (DES A) and choline chloride-glycerol (DES B). Both chitosan-DES beads were used to remove malachite green (MG) dye from an aqueous solution. The optimum pH for chitosan-DES A was recorded at pH 8.0 while optimum pH for chitosan-DES B was pH 9.0. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained for chitosan-DES A and chitosan-DES B were 6.54 mg/g and 8.64 mg/g, respectively. The optimum conditions for both chitosan-DES beads to remove MG were 0.08 g of adsorbent and 20 min of agitation time. Five kinetic models were applied to analyse the data and the results showed that the pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion model fitted best with R² > 0.999. For the adsorption capacity, results show that the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms fitted well with chitosan-DES A and chitosan-DES B, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacities (q_max) obtained from chitosan-DES A and chitosan-DES B were 1.43 mg/g and 17.86 mg/g, respectively. Desorption indicated good performance in practical applications.

Ultrasound-assisted bottom-up synthesis of Ni-graphene hybrid composites and their excellent rhodamine B removal properties

In this paper, a facile one-pot bottom-up approach has been developed for the rapid preparation (≤5 min) of graphene nanostructures and Ni-graphene hybrid composites. Under the aid of ultrasonic irradiation, the graphene nanostructures were prepared via reducing hexachloro-benzene(C₆Cl₆) with sodium (Na) in non-polar organic solvent n-tetradecane (C₁₄H₃₀). On the basis of this route, the Ni-graphene hybrid composites were easily synthesized by adding Ni nanoparticles (NPs) into reaction system. The whole reaction was carried out at low temperature (100-120 °C) and in air atmosphere. Despite the absence of nitrogen protection, the result from surface analysis still shows a relatively high C/O ratio (10:1). The effect of the Ni NPs content and size on the specific surface area (SSA) of the products is also investigated. The synthesized samples exhibit large SSA, which is significantly affected by the Ni NPs content rather than their size. The adsorption performances of the samples are evaluated for the removal of organic dyes such as rhodamine B (RhB) from aqueous solutions. The testing results show great adsorption capacity (q_max = 963.04 mg g^-1), rapid adsorption rate (~99.88%, 2 min), high adsorption efficiency (>99.7%) and good chemical stability in a wide pH range (3-13), high salt tolerance (>80 mg mL^-1), and good recyclability (>99.5%, 20 cycles).

Acoustic cavitation assisted destratified clay tactoid reinforced in situ elastomer-mimetic semi-IPN hydrogel for catalytic and bactericidal application

Ultrasonicaion is non-chemical process where acoustic waves have been targeted to aqueous medium dispersed precursor materials. In situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles anchored in hydrogel matrix has been opted via ~20 kHz frequency assisted (bath sonication) synthesis having the ultrasonication power intensity (UPI) of ~10⁶ J/m². Power intensity is inversely proportional to the surface area of the clay tactoids. The hydrogel have been prepared by in situ 20 kHz assisted sonochemical destratification of laponite clay tactoids which could be terminologically stated as 'top-down method'. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been deposited in the surfaces of the porous matrix of hydrogel via 'soak and irradiate' method. Soaking of silver ions into the gel matrix is welcomed due to their efficient stabilization and fast transformation towards AgNPs. AgNPs played the key role in catalytic reduction and bactericidal activity. Moreover, the prepared hydrogel has enough robust to withstand cyclic stress, uniaxial stress and oscillatory stress which have been extensively justified by the physico-mechanical characterizations. The gel supported catalyst showed first order reaction kinetics and less time consuming period during reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a model pollutant.

High-Valent Iron-Oxo Complexes as Dominant Species to Eliminate Pharmaceuticals and Chloride-Containing Intermediates by the Activation of Peroxymonosulfate Under Visible Irradiation

Abstract

Generally, the sulfate (SO4·−) and hydroxyl (HO·) radicals are the dominant active species in most catalytic oxidation processes with peroxymonosulfate (PMS). However, the existence of various natural organic and inorganic matters in aquatic environments might influence the oxidation efficiency of these radicals, and/or form more toxic and refractory intermediates than the parent, especially in chlorine-ion-containing conditions. Here, we constructed a novel visible-light catalytic system with PMS based on iron hexadecachlorophthalocyanine-poly (4-vinylpyridine)/polyacrylonitrile nanofibers through pyridine ligands to generate high-valent iron-oxo (Fe(IV)=O) species as the main active species. The coordination structure was characterized by UV–Vis diffuse reflection, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, etc. The high-valent iron-oxo generation from peroxysulfate O–O bond heterolytic cleavage was proved by high-definition electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-definition mass spectrometry showed that the photocatalytic system was efficient for the degradation of carbamazepine and the chlorinated intermediates by iron-oxo active species in chlorine-ion-containing conditions.

Graphic Abstract

The efficient, fast and facile decolorization of organic dyes homogeneously catalyzed by iron octacarboxylic phthalocyanine

To remove the harmful dye contaminants via an efficient, facile and low energy consumption route is a grave challenge in current chemical industry. Though the great progresses of TiO₂ photocatalysis and enzymatic degradation have been witnessed, the strategy for satisfying the above requirements is still worth exploring. Herein, we develop a biomimetic catalysis strategy for the fast decolorization of organic dyes catalyzed by iron octacarboxylic phthalocyanine (FeOCPc) complexes assisted with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (BuOOH). Methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) were used as the model pollutants and experimental results show that the decolorization degree of 25 mg/L MO could achieve 100% within 20 min and 80% for 25 mg/L MB within 30 min. The molar ratio for FeOCPc/MO and FeOCPc/MB is 0.146 and 0.142, respectively. Interestingly, other than the high-valent iron-oxygen active species, tert-butyl peroxyl radicals and hydroxyl radicals were detected as the active species generated during the catalytic oxidation by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurement. This work not only provides a distinctive biomimetic catalysis system of FeOCPc-BuOOH for the fast bleaching of dye pollutants, but also proposes the new insight on a mechanism based on the cooperation catalysis of iron-oxygen active species, tert-butyl peroxyl radicals and hydroxyl radicals.

Thermal and pH dual-responsive cellulose microfilament spheres for dye removal in single and binary systems

Cellulose microfilaments/poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) spheres (MPNAA) were prepared via the in-situ synthesis of semi-interpenetrating networks (semi-IPN). The free radical copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) (for pH-sensitive chain segments) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) (for temperature-sensitive chain segments) was conducted in a microwave-reactor in the presence of porous cellulose/microfilament composite spherical beads pre-prepared. The surface morphology and adsorption properties of the as-prepared spheres were systematically characterized. The adsorption behaviors of resulting MPNAA towards dyes, methylene blue (MB) and methyl violet (MV), were pH sensitive; and the optimal adsorption occurred at pH 9. The dynamic adsorption processes could be well fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetic, Elovich and simplified intraparticle diffusion models. Meanwhile, Langmuir, Temkin, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Raduskevich models were used to fit the adsorption isotherms at 25, 40, and 55 °C, respectively. The results indicated that the adsorption capacities of MPNAA towards MB and MV could reach as high as 497.5 and 840.3 mg g^-1, respectively, in single systems; and high adsorption capacity was maintain in binary systems with the favorable adsorption of MV. Overall, the semi-IPN MPNAA spheres are promising as novel pH- and temperature-responsive adsorbents, facilitating the controllable adsorption/desorption processes.

Synergetic effects of graphene–CoPc/silk fibroin three-dimensional porous composites as catalysts for acid red G degradation

The disposal of dye wastewater is one of the hotspots of scientific research, and graphene–CoTAPc–SF composites exhibit more effective catalytic abilities.

Synthesis and Catalytic Activity of Activated Carbon Supported Sulfonated Cobalt Phthalocyanine in the Preparation of Dimethyl Disulfide

The Merox process was widely applied in the fine chemical industry to convert mercaptans into disulfides by oxidation with oxygen, including dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). In this paper, a new activated carbon (AC)-supported sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine (AC-CoPcS) catalyst was prepared through the chemical linkage of ethylenediamine between them. UV−VIS, FT-IR, BET, and XPS were used to characterize the structure of the new catalyst. Then AC-CoPcS was applied to catalyze sodium methylmercaptide (SMM) oxidation for the preparation of DMDS. The effect of process parameters, such as reaction time, catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, and oxygen pressure on SMM conversion per pass (CPPSMM), yield (YieldDMDS), and purity of the DMDS (PurityDMDS) product were investigated to evaluate the catalytic performance of AC-CoPcS. The new supported catalyst exhibits better catalytic performance than the commercial one and can be properly reused four times to obtain CPPSMM and YieldDMDS higher than 90% and 70%. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the CPPSMM and YieldDMDS could reach as high as 98.7% and 86.8%, respectively, and the purity of the DMDS product is as high as 99.8%. This new supported catalyst exhibits good industrial application prospects.

Polymeric nanocomposites for the removal of Acid red 52 dye from aqueous solutions: Synthesis, characterization, kinetic and isotherm studies

Polymeric nanocomposites polyaniline-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PAPV) and polyaniline-polyvinylpyrrolidone-neodymium/zinc oxide (PAPV-NZO) were synthesized for the effective dye removal through adsorption process. Neodymium doped zinc oxide (NZO) with various proportions of neodymium were prepared by chemical co-precipitation method and incorporated into the copolymer matrix via oxidative polymerization technique. NZO nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the morphological features, and functional group linkages of the PAPV-NZO were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. Acid red 52 dye was chosen as a synthetic toxic effluent to study the removal efficiency of the nanocomposites with different parameters viz. time, concentration, adsorbent dosage and pH. The studies were performed under visible light irradiation and the residual dye concentration was analyzed by UV-visible spectrophotometer. PAPV-NZO exhibited greater dye removal rate than PAPV due to the incorporation of NZO that enhanced the conducting nature, stability and surface area of PAPV-NZO. The optimum concentration of the dye and the adsorbent dosage of the PAPV-NZO were determined to be 80 ppm and 50 mg, respectively. At acidic condition of pH 2, the removal capacity of PAPV-NZO was found 99.6%. Kinetic and isotherm models have been studied on the optimum parameters to investigate the nature of the adsorption process. The process followed pseudo second order kinetics and was best suited to the Langmuir model. The maximum dye adsorption capacity of PAPV-NZO was estimated to be 159.36 mg g^-1. From the results, it can be assured that the PAPV-NZO can be effectively used for the removal of dye pollutants in water.

The preparation of carboxylic-functional carbon-based nanofibers for the removal of cationic pollutants

A simple route is presented to fabricate carboxylic-functional carbon-coated polyacrylonitrile nanofibers (oPAN@C) through preoxidation and hydrothermal carbonization. PAN fibers were firstly preoxidized to form aromatic ladder structure with the resistance to hydrothermal condition, in which more carboxyl groups were introduced on the fiber surface at the present of chitosan and citric acid. The oPAN@C composites exhibit a high adsorption capacity towards methylene blue (MB) and lead ion (Pb²⁺). The adsorption data matched the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model well with the maximum adsorption capacity (153.37 and 143.27 mg g^-1) for methylene blue and Pb²⁺, respectively. Moreover, oPAN@C could be regenerated easily by hydrochloric acid, and still remained high removal efficiency after 5 cycles. Therefore, oPAN@C fibers should have potential application in sewage treatment.

Synthesis and characterization of a series of novel perovskite-type LaMnO3/Keggin-type polyoxometalate hybrid nanomaterials for fast and selective removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solutions

In this paper, Keggin-type heteropoly acids H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ (PMo₁₂), H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ (PW₁₂) and H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀ (SiW₁₂) were successfully supported on silica-coated perovskite type LaMnO₃ nanoparticles by a simple acid-base reaction. These novel hybrid nanomaterials (denoted as LaMnO₃@SiO₂/PMo₁₂ (1), LaMnO₃@SiO₂/PW₁₂ (2), and LaMnO₃@SiO₂/SiW₁₂ (3)) were characterized by means of FT-IR, PXRD, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometry, SEM, EDX, TEM and BET surface area analysis. Furthermore, the adsorption abilities of 1-3 were tested towards cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic methyl orange (MO) dyes. The results revealed that the MB dye can be removed almost completely (≥98%) by adsorbents 1-3 in 1, 30 and 0.5 minutes, respectively. For the most efficient adsorbent 3, the effects of the initial concentration and the initial pH values of MB solution on its adsorption ability were examined. Furthermore, the selective adsorption of the hybrid materials towards mixed MB & MO solution was investigated. The nanomaterials 1-3 could be easily separated from the aqueous solution and reused several times without any impact on their adsorption abilities and structures.

Solvent-controlled synthesis of various Anderson-type polyoxometalate-based metal–organic complexes with excellent capacity for the chromatographic separation of dyes

A series of Anderson-type POMs-based metal-organic complexes were synthesized in different solvents, which show excellent dye adsorption and chromatographic separation performance in a short time.

Multifunctional PMMA@Fe₃O₄@DR Magnetic Materials for Efficient Adsorption of Dyes

Magnetic porous microspheres are widely used in modern wastewater treatment technology due to their simple and quick dye adsorption and separation functions. In this article, we prepared porous polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres by the seed-swelling method, followed by in situ formation of iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles within the pore. Then, we used diazo-resin (DR) to encapsulate the porous magnetic microspheres and achieve PMMA@Fe₃O₄@DR magnetic material. We studied the different properties of magnetic microspheres by different dye adsorption experiments before and after the encapsulation and demonstrated that the PMMA@Fe₃O₄@DR microspheres can be successfully used as a reusable absorbent for fast and easy removal of anionic and aromatic dyes from wastewater and can maintain excellent magnetic and adsorption properties in harsh environments.

Carbon-Based Oxamate Cobalt(III) Complexes as Bioenzyme Mimics for Contaminant Elimination in High Backgrounds of Complicated Constituents

Complex wastewater with massive components is now a serious environmental issue facing humanity. Selective removal of low-concentration contaminants in mixed constituents holds great promise for increasing water supplies. Bioenzymes like horseradish peroxidase exhibit oxidizing power and selectivity. Here, we manufactured its mimic through immobilizing non-heme oxamate anionic cobalt(III) complex ([Co^III(opba)]⁻, opba = o-phenylenebis(oxamate)) onto pyridine (Py) modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes ([Co^III(opba)]⁻-Py-MWCNTs, MWCNTs = multiwalled carbon nanotubes), where MWCNTs captured substrates and Py functioned as the fifth ligand. We chose typical azo dye (C.I. Acid Red 1) and antibiotic (ciprofloxacin) as model substrates. Without •OH, this catalyst could detoxify target micropollutants efficiently at pH from 8 to 11. It also remained efficient in repetitive tests, and the final products were non-poisonous OH-containing acids. Combined with radical scavenger tests and electron paramagnetic resonance result, we speculated that high-valent cobalt-oxo active species and oxygen atom transfer reaction dominated in the reaction pathway. According to density functional theory calculations, the electron spin density distribution order showed that electron-withdrawing ligand was beneficial for inward pulling the excess electron and lowering the corresponding energy levels, achieving an electrophilic-attack enhancement of the catalyst. With target removal property and recyclability, this catalyst is prospective in water detoxication.

Quantitative Immobilization of Phthalocyanine onto Bacterial Cellulose for Construction of a High-Performance Catalytic Membrane Reactor

We report the fabrication of a tetra-amino cobalt (II) phthalocyanine (CoPc)-immobilized bacterial cellulose (BC) functional nanocomposite, CoPc@BC, by quantitative immobilization of CoPc onto a BC membrane. Lab-cultured BC was oxidized by NaIO₄ to generate aldehyde groups on BC for the subsequent CoPc immobilization, the processing conditions were optimized by monitoring both the generated aldehyde content and the resulting CoPc loading. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to characterize the change of the element bonding environment during the functionalization processes. The CoPc@BC functional nanocomposite was utilized for the treatment of reactive red X-3B dye wastewater. The CoPc molecules in the CoPc@BC nanocomposite can function as an “antenna” to adsorb the target anionic dye molecules, the adsorption takes place both on the surface and in the interior of CoPc@BC. A catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) was assembled with the CoPc@BC nanocomposite, the performance of CMR was evaluated based on the catalytic oxidation behavior of reactive red X-3B, with H₂O₂ as an oxidant. Highly-reactive hydroxyl radical (OH) was involved in the catalytic oxidation process, as detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Under optimal operating conditions of a flow rate of 6 mL/min, a reaction temperature of 50 °C, and an H₂O₂ concentration of 10 mmol/L, the decoloration rate of CMR was as high as 50 μmol⋅min⁻¹⋅g⁻¹.

A stable pillared-layer Cu(ii) metal–organic framework with magnetic properties for dye adsorption and separation

A pillared-layer metal–organic framework can be used to separate rhodamine B (RB) and methylene blue (MB) dye molecules in a short amount of time.

A facile sacrificial template method to synthesize one-dimensional porous CdO/CdFe2O4 hybrid nanoneedles with superior adsorption performance

A novel adsorbent based on 1D porous CdO/CdFe₂O₄ hybrid nanoneedles has been firstly synthesized via a facile sacrificial template (solid Cd₂Fe(CN)₆) method, which exhibit an superior adsorption capacity of 1491 mg g⁻¹ for CR from aqueous solution.