Sand Supported Mixed‐Phase TiO₂ Photocatalysts for Water Decontamination Applications

Abstract

Abstract:Using an organometallic precursor, TiO 2 coatings were fabricated on surfaces of quartz, zircon and rutile sands. X-ray Diffraction, X-ray Fluorescence, UV-Vis spectroscopy and surface area measurement were used to characterise support materials. The phase composition and morphology of the coatings were characterised by laser Raman spectroscopy and SEM respectively. A packed bed reactor was used to study the inactivation of Escherichia coli in recirculating water by the supported photocatalysts. It was found that the sand grains were well coated with a homogenous layer of TiO 2 and coatings were well adhered, exhibiting a mixed anatase-rutile composition after firing at 850°C.Photocatalytic activity was highest in coatings applied to quartz sand, although sterilisation of the recirculating water was not achieved with any of the materials investigated. The advantages of quartz as a TiO 2 photocatalyst support material are likely a result of this material's higher purity and optical transmittance. Potential enhancement through Si doping cannot be ruled out.

Photocatalysis with solar energy: Sunlight-responsive photocatalyst based on TiO2 loaded on a natural material for wastewater treatment

“…(Khalilian et al, 2015;Sarkar et al, 2015;He et al, 2016;Vaiano et al, 2015;Hanaor and Sorrell, 2014).…”

Adsorption isotherm studies of Cu (II) and Co (II) in high concentration aqueous solutions on photocatalytically modified diatomaceous ceramic adsorbents

“…Hence, activation of the diatomite surface becomes necessary for removal process optimization. Photocatalytic nature of TiO 2 has been utilized in the environmental remediation studies (Hanaor et al 2011;Hanaor and Sorrell 2014;Yang et al 2012;Lasek et al 2012;Kujawa et al 2013;Kamegawa et al 2013). Wu et al (2009) reported visible light-induced photocatalytic inactivation of bacteria with nitrogen-doped TiO 2 .…”

Reactive Magnetron Sputter Deposition of Bismuth Tungstate Coatings for Water Treatment Applications under Natural Sunlight

“…Bismuth tungstate coatings are often described as efficient visible light-activated photocatalytic materials [15], however, they are usually produced by chemical methods, e.g., hydrothermal methods [13,14] or electrospinning [22]. Use of photocatalyst-coated particulates is frequently reported for water treatment applications, however, chemical methods are typically used for the coating's deposition [23][24][25]. The establishment of a reactive sputter deposition method as a technique for the production of bismuth complex oxides [15,21,26] allows some limitations of these chemical deposition methods, such as the use of hazardous precursors or byproduct formation, to be overcome and provides a simple, yet efficient and readily up-scalable deposition technique.…”