Sequential uptake of cadmium and methylene blue from binary solution using zeolite‐TiO₂ modified porous CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ photocatalyst

Abstract

This work describes the synthesis of CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 (CCTO) by a facile conventional oxide mixing method. The prepared CCTO particles were further modified with anatase TiO 2 NPs (~55 nm size) and zeolite supported TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) (~58 nm size) for the photocatalytic removal of MB and Cd 2+ from the aqueous media under compact fluorescent light. Both nascent and modified CCTO composite materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron micrograph /energy dispersion X-ray, BET, UV-VIS-DRS, and pH of the point of zero charge analyses. These composite materials revealed with remarkable affinity toward MB and Cd 2+ , whereby the maximum photocatalytic degradation and adsorption capacity reached to 73 and 77 mg/g, respectively. The cations removal efficiencies of the prepared composite materials were found increased in the binary solutions of MB and Cd 2+ ions resulting in enhanced degradation and adsorption capacity, q e , up to 132, and 137 mg/g, respectively. The reusability tests revealed that the efficiencies of prepared composites gradually decreased upon reuse.

Development of a TiO2/Sepiolite Photocatalyst for the Degradation of a Persistent Organic Pollutant in Aqueous Solution

“…An alternative method of functionalization can be adopted; the aim is to fix the photocatalyst on a suitable support. Several reports have been published in recent years applying a wide variety of supports, such as silica gel [28]; quartz optical fibers, glass fibers, and glass beads [29]; natural and synthetic zeolites [30,31]; ceramic zeolites, cellulose fibers [32]; porous hexagonal boron nitride (BN); so-called "white graphene" [33]; graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C 3 N 4 ) [24,34]; and clay [35,36]. The latter represents a natural, abundant, and low-cost material and has particularly been used as a support due to its large specific surface area [37,38], necessary for the dispersion of TiO 2 particles [39].…”