Sustainable Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium Oxide-Clay Nanocomposite Toward Persistent Polychlorinated Biphenyl Degradation in Real Samples

Abstract

This study presents the green synthesis of TiO2-clay nanocomposite using an eco-friendly method based on carbohydrates. Glucose and soluble starch function as the bioreductant and stabilizer agent during the reaction, respectively. The UV-vis analysis ascertained the formation of TiO2-clay nanocomposite presenting a distinctive absorption peak at 360 nm and an optical band gap of 4.3 eV. TEM and XRD results indicated the anatase phase of spherical TiO2-clay with a median crystallite size of 18.36 nm. EDX and XRF techniques revealed the presence of titanium, oxygen peaks, and TiO2 compound (58 wt%) along with the elemental composition of clay. The BET values of specific surface area, average pore diameter, and pore volumes are 47.48 m2g− 1, 17.39 nm, 0.19 cm3g− 1, respectively. The benign TiO2-clay nanocomposite demonstrated superior photocatalytic efficiency toward photodegradation of poly polychlorinated biphenyl pollutant in industrial wastewater with a removal rate of 98.32%, greater than untreated TiO2 NPs.