TiO2-La2O3 as Photocatalysts in the Degradation of Naproxen

Abstract

The indiscriminate use of naproxen as an anti-inflammatory has been the leading cause of pollution in sewage effluents. Conversely, titanium dioxide is one of the most promising photocatalyst for the degradation of pollutants. Ti-La mixed oxides containing 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt.% of lanthanum were synthetized by sol-gel and tested as photocatalysts in the degradation of naproxen (NPX). The materials were further characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen physisorption (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD patterns resembled that of anatase titania. The Eg values, determined from the UV-Vis spectra, vary from 2.07 to 3.2 eV corresponded to pure titania. The photocatalytic activity of these materials showed a degradation of naproxen from 93.6 to 99.8 wt.% after 4 h under UV irradiation.

Effect of Lanthanum Loading on the Photocatalytic Degradation of Brilliant Yellow and Acid Blue Dyes in Visible Light and Sunlight over La2O3-TiO2 Nanocomposites

“…The TEM analysis carried out in an earlier study showed that doping of La 3+ resulted in a narrower particle size distribution compared to pure TiO 2 nanoparticles [15]. The La doping led to a lower particle size distribution, consistent with XRD results (Table -2) [16].…”

“…Fig. 9c shows the XPS peaks corresponding to La 3d3/2 and 3d5/2 appeared at binding energies of 839 and 852 eV, respectively attributing the presence of Ti-O-La bonds [16]. whereas Fig.…”

Nanocomposites for Photocatalysis

“…This study addresses the environmental issue of naproxen pollution in sewage effluents, which is primarily caused by its widespread use as an anti-inflammatory drug. To combat this problem, the researchers investigated the use of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) as a promising photocatalyst for degrading naproxen (NPX) [21].…”

“…The researchers synthesized Ti-La mixed oxides with varying lanthanum (La) contents (0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt.%) via the sol-gel method. These mixed oxides were tested as photocatalysts for the degradation of naproxen [21].…”

“…The photocatalytic activity of these materials was assessed, and they exhibited a high efficiency in degrading naproxen, with degradation rates ranging from 93.6 to 99.8 wt.% after 4 h under UV irradiation [21].…”