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Basso Peressut A, Cristiani C, Dotelli G, Dotti A, Latorrata S, Bahamonde A, Gascó A, Hermosilla D, Balzarotti R. Reduced Graphene Oxide/Waste-Derived TiO 2 Composite Membranes: Preliminary Study of a New Material for Hybrid Wastewater Treatment. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:nano13061043. [PMID: 36985937 PMCID: PMC10055702 DOI: 10.3390/nano13061043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This work reports the preliminary results of the development of composite self-assembling membranes obtained by the combination of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with commercial Degussa P25 titanium dioxide (TiO2). The purpose is to demonstrate the possibility of combining, in the same self-standing material, the capability to treat wastewater containing both inorganic and organic pollutants by exploiting the established ability of rGO to capture metal ions together with that of TiO2 to degrade organic substances. Moreover, this study also investigates the potential photocatalytic properties of tionite (TIO), to demonstrate the feasibility of replacing commercial TiO2 with such waste-derived TiO2-containing material, fulfilling a circular economy approach. Thus, rGO-TiO2 and rGO-TIO composite membranes, 1:1 by weight, were prepared and characterized by SEM-EDX, XRD, thermogravimetry, as well as by Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopies to verify the effective and homogeneous integration of the two components. Then, they were tested towards 3-mg L-1 aqueous synthetic solutions of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions to evaluate their metal adsorption ability, with values of the order of 0.1-0.2 mmol gmembrane-1, comparable or even slightly higher than those of pristine rGO. Finally, the ability of the composites to degrade a common organic pesticide, i.e., Imidacloprid®, was assessed in preliminary photocatalysis experiments, in which maximum degradation efficiencies of 25% (after 3 h) for rGO-TiO2 and of 21% (after 1 h) for rGO-TIO were found. The result of tionite-containing membranes is particularly promising and worthy of further investigation, given that the anatase content of tionite is roughly 1/6 of the one in commercial TiO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Basso Peressut
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Cinzia Cristiani
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Dotelli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Dotti
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Saverio Latorrata
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Ana Bahamonde
- Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Calle de Marie Curie 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Gascó
- Departamento de Ingeniería y Gestión Forestal y Ambiental, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Calle de José Antonio Novais 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daphne Hermosilla
- Departamento de Ingeniería y Gestión Forestal y Ambiental, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Calle de José Antonio Novais 10, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Riccardo Balzarotti
- Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Via la Santa 1, 6962 Lugano, Switzerland
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Nica AV, Olaru EA, Bradu C, Dumitru A, Avramescu SM. Catalytic Ozonation of Ibuprofen in Aqueous Media over Polyaniline-Derived Nitrogen Containing Carbon Nanostructures. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:nano12193468. [PMID: 36234595 PMCID: PMC9565786 DOI: 10.3390/nano12193468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Catalytic ozonation is an important water treatment method among advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Since the first development, catalytic ozonation has been consistently improved in terms of catalysts used and the optimization of operational parameters. The aim of this work is to compare the catalytic activity of polyaniline (PANI) and thermally treated polyaniline (PANI 900) in the catalytic ozonation of ibuprofen solutions at different pH values (4, 7, and 10). Catalysts were thoroughly characterized through multiple techniques (SEM, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, pHPZC, and so on), while the oxidation process of ibuprofen solutions (100 mgL-1) was assessed by several analytical methods (HPLC, UV254, TOC, COD, and BOD5). The experimental data demonstrate a significant improvement in ibuprofen removal in the presence of prepared solids (20 min for PANI 900 at pH10) compared with non-catalytic processes (56 min at pH 10). Moreover, the influence of solution pH was emphasized, showing that, in the basic region, the removal rate of organic substrate is higher than in acidic or neutral range. Ozone consumption mgO3/mg ibuprofen was considerably reduced for catalytic processes (17.55-PANI, 11.18-PANI 900) compared with the absence of catalysts (29.64). Hence, beside the ibuprofen degradation, the catalysts used are very active in the mineralization of organic substrate and/or formation of biodegradable compounds. The best removal rate of target pollutants and oxidation by-products was achieved by PANI 900, although raw polyaniline also presents important activity in the oxidation process. Therefore, it can be stated that polyaniline-based catalysts are effective in the oxidation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel-Vasile Nica
- PROTMED Research Centre, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenţei 91–95, Sect. 5, 050107 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Elena Alina Olaru
- PROTMED Research Centre, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenţei 91–95, Sect. 5, 050107 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenţei 91–95, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Corina Bradu
- PROTMED Research Centre, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenţei 91–95, Sect. 5, 050107 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Systems Ecology and Sustainability, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenţei 91–95, 050095 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Anca Dumitru
- Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, 077125 Măgurele, Romania
- Correspondence: (A.D.); (S.M.A.)
| | - Sorin Marius Avramescu
- PROTMED Research Centre, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independenţei 91–95, Sect. 5, 050107 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Catalysis, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 90–92 Soseaua Panduri, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (A.D.); (S.M.A.)
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Photocatalytic Degradation of Paracetamol in Aqueous Medium Using TiO2 Prepared by the Sol–Sel Method. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27092904. [PMID: 35566255 PMCID: PMC9099495 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Two titania photocatalysts have been prepared using the sol-gel method using TiCl4 as a precursor, and two different alcohols, namely, ethanol or propanol (Et or Pr). The main aim of this work was to study the effect of the nature of the alcohol on the chemical, structural and photocatalytic properties for paracetamol photodegradation of the final solids. The TiCl4/alcohol molar ratio to obtain the corresponding alkoxides (TiEt and TiPr) was 1/10. These alkoxides were calcined at 400 °C to prepare the oxide catalysts (named as TiEt400 and TiPr400). Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) of the original samples showed the presence of anatase diffraction peaks in sample TiPr, while TiEt is a completely amorphous material. Contrary to commercial TiO2-P25, the PXRD diagrams of the calcined samples showed anatase as the exclusive crystalline phase in both solids. The specific surface area (SBET) of sample TiPr400 was larger than that of sample TiEt400, and both larger than that of TiO2-P25. The three solids have been tested in the photodegradation of paracetamol in aqueous solution. It has been established that the alcohol used influences the properties and catalytic activity of the final oxides. The synthesized solids exhibit a higher activity than commercial TiO2-P25, because of their structural characteristics and larger SBET.
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