Photocatalytic inactivation of Bacillus anthracis by titania nanomaterials

Abbreviations 1 1 PA 6: polyamide 6, MB: Methylene Blue, IL: inline, DC: dip-coating, H: hydrophilic 2 ABSTRACT Titania has already proven its added value for air and water treatment. The higher the surface-to-volume area, the better the performance of the TiO2 photocatalyst. These nanoparticles are typically applied in a slurry form. The use of titania nanoparticles in suspension has, however, multiple disadvantages such as a high turbidity and complex recovery of the photocatalyst after use. Therefore, immobilization of titania nanoparticles on a porous support such as a nanofibrous membrane, can be highly valuable for water treatment. These TiO2 functionalized nanofibrous membranes may be used not only in a membrane separation reactor, but also in a contact reactor. In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles were immobilized on both polymer (polyamide 6) and ceramic (silica) nanofibrous membranes. Polymer nanofibers are chosen as they are the state-of-the-art material, silica nanofibers on the contrary are less studied but show additional advantages due their excellent chemical and thermal stability and can thus offer a clear benefit for a wider range of applications. Two immobilization techniques were used, namely inline functionalization and dip-coating. Inline functionalization showed to be the preferred method for polyamide 6 nanofibrous membranes, dip-coating for silica nanofibrous membranes. Complete degradation of isoproturon, an actual concern in water treatment, is shown. Even the widely available commercial TiO2 nanoparticles allowed for a complete isoproturon removal as the result of a correct immobilization process on nanofibrous materials. This clearly opens up the high value of TiO2 functionalized nanofibrous membranes for organic (micro)pollutants removal.

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“…TiO2 nanoparticles are thus known to show greater photocatalytic properties compared to their bulk counterpart [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

TiO2 functionalized nanofibrous membranes for removal of organic (micro)pollutants from water

Geltmeyer

Teixido

Meire

et al. 2017

Separation and Purification Technology

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“…The photocatalytic ability of nano-TiO 2 is used in photovoltaic devices and self-cleaning or self-sterilizing product coatings 2 . Additionally, as a photocatalytic agent, nano-TiO 2 could be useful for degrading environmental pathogencontaminated drinking water 4,5 . TiO 2 has been the material most widely studied and used in many photocatalysis applications because of its strong oxidizing abilities for the decomposition of organic pollutants, superhydrophilicity, chemical stability, long durability, non-toxicity, and transparency to visible light 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some researchers assert that the anatase phase is more efficient in the photocatalytic degradation process 9 . However, the activation of anatase phase requires high energy and is achieved by UV irradiation 4 . On the other hand, other researchers report that small amounts of rutile present with anatase in TiO 2 heighten its photocatalytic efficiency, which, allied to other factors such as high surface area, contributes to increase the effectiveness of the photocatalytic degradation process 10,11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthesis of TiO2 by the pechini method and photocatalytic degradation of methyl red

et al. 2012

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This work evaluated the catalytic activity of TiO 2 synthesized by the Pechini method. with varying molar ratios of 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 of citric acid/metallic cations, in the photocatalytic degradation of methyl red dye in aqueous solution. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, phase quantification by Rietveld structure refinement, and textural analysis by nitrogen adsorption, and their photocatalytic performance was bench-tested. The results indicated that the 3:1 and 4:1 samples contained two phases, with 84.4 and 89% of anatase phase and 15.6 and 11% of rutile phase, respectively. The 2:1 sample contained only anatase phase. The total discoloration of methyl red dye in 24 hours confirmed the high photocatalytic efficiency of the 2:1 sample, which was ascribed to the formation of monophasic anatase.

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“…Although direct illumination of contaminated waters and surfaces with ultraviolet light centered at 254 nm (UVC) has been proven to inactivate microorganisms [2,31], UVC radiation is detrimental to health and involves occupational risk [3]. A potential alternative may be the use of photocatalytic surfaces which, when irradiated with UVA (>350 nm), have been shown to immobilize microbes without the production of secondary pollutants or the use of hazardous chemicals [4][5][6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A potential alternative may be the use of photocatalytic surfaces which, when irradiated with UVA (>350 nm), have been shown to immobilize microbes without the production of secondary pollutants or the use of hazardous chemicals [4][5][6]. The semi-conductive material, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), in nano-particulate form has been extensively explored for this purpose [5,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. A recent review [15] provides a comprehensive reference for the subject, including brief discussions of various immobilization mechanisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%