Effectiveness of a photocatalytic organic membrane for solar degradation of methylene blue pollutant

Abstract

The results of a feasibility study are presented on the use of a polystyrene (PS) organic membrane as a photocatalyst support in the degradation of organic pollutants in aqueous solution. Methylene blue (MB) was employed as a model dye and commercial titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) was used as a photocatalyst. The MB dye which is resistant to direct photolysis especially at high concentrations was successfully eliminated by TiO 2 fixed on the PS membrane in aqueous dispersion under solar irradiation. Photodegradation results of MB showed that the film with 10 wt% TiO 2 exhibited a remarkable ultraviolet (sun light) photocatalytic activity over 5 h, with 68% of the pollutant being degraded. This is similar to a TiO 2 slurry system. The photocatalytic degradation obeyed pseudo-first-order kinetics at low initial MB concentration. The optimum pH for efficient removal of dye was found to be 11. An increase in initial dye concentration decreased the degradation rate. The applicability of Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic equation revealed that the degradation of MB occurred mainly on the surface of the photocatalyst. The concept and results provide a promising platform for fabricating highly efficient organic photocatalytic membranes for water treatment.

Solution mixing preparation of PVDF/ZnO polymeric composite films engineered for heterogeneous photocatalysis

“…However, for 3 g or more of photocatalyst, there is no significant increase in photocatalytic efficiency. This is a result frequently obtained in the processes of immobilization of photocatalysts . Apparently, upon reaching a given photocatalyst amount, the larger immobilized mass does not generate a greater number of active sites available for the photocatalytic reaction.…”

“…Although there are fewer reports on the inclusion of photocatalysts for environmental remediation through advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), researchers have been long studying the inclusion of photocatalyst for membrane performance and properties enhancement and some conclusions can be adapted for the photocatalytic property. Among them, the photocatalyst mass was the most studied variable.…”

Photocatalytic Decolorization of Celestine Blue B from Industrial Wastewater Using Ni3O4-MgO Coupled Oxides

“…In this context, many types of semiconductors photocatalysts were applied such as TiO2, ZnO, Cu2O, CdS, ZnS, etc. in the presence of UV light and solar spectrum with hydrogen peroxide [7]. Also different modified forms of these photocatalyst include doped oxides with metals and non-metals, activated carbons/photocatalysts and coupled oxides [8,9].…”

Polymeric hybrid films with photocatalytic activity under visible light

“…However, there are fewer studies published regarding the use of polymeric matrices for the immobilization of photocatalysts prepared by phase separation method and applied in the treatment of contaminants by photocatalysis. Research has already been carried out on the incorporation in polymers of TiO 2 , ZnO and other photocatalysts active in UV and Vis light regions. As far as we have been able to ascertain, the use of BiOI particles incorporated into polymer matrices has not yet been reported.…”