Robust Photocatalytic MICROSCAFS® with Interconnected Macropores for Sustainable Solar-Driven Water Purification.
Int J Mol Sci
; 25(11)2024 May 29.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38892146
ABSTRACT
Advanced oxidation processes, including photocatalysis, have been proven effective at organic dye degradation. Tailored porous materials with regulated pore size, shape, and morphology offer a sustainable solution to the water pollution problem by acting as support materials to grafted photocatalytic nanoparticles (NPs). This research investigated the influence of pore and particle sizes of photocatalytic MICROSCAFS® on the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution (10 mg/L). Photocatalytic MICROSCAFS® are made of binder-less supported P25 TiO2 NPs within MICROSCAFS®, which are silica-titania microspheres with a controlled size and interconnected macroporosity, synthesized by an adapted sol-gel method that involves a polymerization-induced phase separation process. Photocatalytic experiments were performed both in batch and flow reactors, with this latter one targeting a proof of concept for continuous transformation processes and real-life conditions. Photocatalytic degradation of 87% in 2 h (batch) was achieved, using a calibrated solar light simulator (1 sun) and a photocatalyst/pollutant mass ratio of 23. This study introduces a novel flow kinetic model which provides the modeling and simulation of the photocatalytic MICROSCAFS® performance. A scavenger study was performed, enabling an in-depth mechanistic understanding. Finally, the transformation products resulting from the MO photocatalytic degradation were elucidated by high-resolution mass spectrometry experiments and subjected to an in silico toxicity assessment.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Luz Solar
/
Compostos Azo
/
Titânio
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Poluentes Químicos da Água
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Purificação da Água
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Mol Sci
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Portugal