Studies on the photocatalytic degradation of 2,3-dichlorophenol using different oxidants in aqueous solutions

Synergistic potency of ultrasound and solar energy towards oxidation of 2,4-dichlorophenol: a chemometrics approach

Industrial units based on chemical processes-the textile and paper industries-are major sources of chlorophenols in the environment, and chlorophenolic compounds persist within the environment for a long time with high toxicity levels. The photo-assisted Fenton's and photocatalysis processes were investigated for the degradation of chlorophenols in the present study. Response surface methodology was employed to get optimised conditions for photocatalysis and photo-Fenton process-governing factors, thus, yielding a profound removal efficiency. Under optimised conditions, with a photocatalyst dose of 0.2 g/L, oxidant concentration of 10.0 mM and pH 5.0, complete removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was observed in 210 minutes in photocatalytic treatment. In the case of the photo-Fenton process, at an H2O2 dose of 5.0 mM and Fe2+ concentration of 0.5 mM, the organic pollutant was eliminated within 5 minutes of reaction time under acidic conditions (pH 3.0). The RSM model reported the perfect fit of experimental data with the predicted response. Among different isotherm models, the Langmuir isotherm was the best fit. The process followed pseudo-first order rate kinetics among various kinetics models. For the obtained optimised conditions, sonication and solar energy-driven processes were incorporated to study enhanced mineralisation. The solar-assisted Fenton process reported maximum mineralisation (90%) and cost-effective ($0.01/litre for 100 mg/L 2,4-DCP) treatment among different hybrid oxidation processes. The work provides insight into harnessing the naturally available solar energy, reducing the overall treatment cost and opting for a sustainable treatment method.

ZnO Nano-swirlings for Azo Dye AR183 photocatalytic degradation and antimycotic activity

The sol-gel technique was used to fabricate ZnO Nano-swirlings (ZNsw) at a predetermined agitation rate (of >> 1900 rpm), with around 21.94 gm of zinc acetate dihydrate and 0.2 g cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) and a cationic surfactant (drop-wise). The impact of the predetermined agitation condition on the molecular size and morphology of ZNsw is examined, and the outcomes are dissected by useful characterization tools and techniques viz. XRD, SEM embedded with EDS, TEM, FT-IR and UV-visible. The SEM and TEM results suggest that the product formed into a big cluster of adequate ZNsw, containing a significant quantity of folded long thread-lengths. Each group indicated a fair amount of the volume of these lengths. The photocatalytic process of ZNsw was carried out as a result of the irradiation time due to the deterioration of Azo Dye AR183, resulting in approximately 79 percent dye discoloration following an 80-min UV light irradiation in the presence of ZNsw. Additionally, the synthesized ZNsw was tested for antagonistic activity, and the growth hindrance of two plant pathogenic fungal strains found. Per cent inhibition in growth of Rhizoctonia solani and Alternaria alternata were observed in response to ZNsw.

Cerium-doped mesoporous-assembled SiO2/P25 nanocomposites with innovative visible-light sensitivity for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes

Photocatalytic mechanism for the photodegradation of organic dyes over a Ce–SiO₂/P25 catalyst under visible light.

Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanorods and its photocatalytic activities towards degradation of 2,4-D

Semiconductor zinc oxide nanorods (NRZnO) were prepared by sol-gel technique using zinc acetate as the precursor and ammonia as the precipitating agent. The prepared photocatalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), High Resolution-Tunneling Microscope (HR-TEM), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) analysis. Particle size of the prepared photocatalyst was established by XRD and FE-SEM analysis. The morphology and the formation of uniform NRZnO was controlled by the temperature, entire concentration of precursors, duration of aging process. High surface roughness and porosity confirmed by AFM analysis. Band gap energy of the synthesized photocatalyst (3.2eV) was determined by using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The in-situ production of OH radicals by the prepared photocatalyst was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) spin trapping technique. The photocatalytic activity of prepared NRZnO was evaluated by photo degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) under UV and visible light irradiations. Experimental parameter such as effect of pH, catalyst dosage, initial 2, 4- D concentrations and addition of different electrolytes on the degradation of 2, 4-D was also studied in detail. Neutral pH was found to be the optimum and catalyst dosage of 30mg/10ml resulted in higher percentage of degradation. The photo degraded samples were analyzed by chemical oxygen demand (COD) analysis, UV-Visible spectroscopy. Reusability of the prepared photocatalyst was tested upto three cycles without affecting its performance. The experimental shown the rate of degradation follows pseudo-first order rate kinetics with respect to 2, 4 D.

Degradation of 4-chloro 2-aminophenol using combined strategies based on ultrasound, photolysis and ozone

The present work investigates the degradation of 4-chloro 2-aminophenol (4C2AP), a highly toxic organic compound, using ultrasonic reactors and combination of ultrasound with photolysis and ozonation for the first time. Two types of ultrasonic reactors viz. ultrasonic horn and ultrasonic bath operating at frequency of 20 kHz and 36 kHz respectively have been used in the work. The effect of initial pH, temperature and power dissipation of the ultrasonic horn on the degradation rate has been investigated. The established optimum parameters of initial pH as 6 (natural pH of the aqueous solution) and temperature as 30 ± 2°C were then used in the degradation studies using the combined approaches. Kinetic study revealed that degradation of 4C2AP followed first order kinetics for all the treatment approaches investigated in the present work. It has been established that US+UV+O3 combined process was the most promising method giving maximum degradation of 4C2AP in both ultrasonic horn (complete removal) and bath (89.9%) with synergistic index as 1.98 and 1.29 respectively. The cavitational yield of ultrasonic bath was found to be eighteen times higher as compared to ultrasonic horn implying that configurations with higher overall areas of transducers would be better selection for large scale treatment. Overall, the work has clearly demonstrated that combined approaches could synergistically remove the toxic pollutant (4C2AP).

The visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation of Alizarin red S using Bi-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

Ultrasonic assisted sol–gel synthesized Bi-doped TiO₂ mesoporous nanoparticles with a good crystallinity and high surface area were prepared. The 1% Bi-doped TiO₂ catalyst showed the highest photocatalytic activity under visible light.

Coupling of solar-assisted advanced oxidative and biological treatment for degradation of agro-residue-based soda bleaching effluent

This study evaluates the effect of integrated solar-assisted advanced oxidation process (AOP) and biological treatment on the extent of degradation of effluents from chlorination (C) and first alkaline extraction (E(1)) stages of soda pulp bleaching in agro-residue-based pulp and paper mill. Biodegradation of the effluents was attempted in suspended mode using activated sludge from the functional pulp and paper industry effluent treatment plant acclimatized to effluents in question. The photocatalytic treatment was employed using zinc oxide (ZnO) in slurry mode for decontamination of effluents in a batch manner and the degradation was evaluated in terms of reduction in chemical oxygen demand. The biological treatment (24 h) of C and E(1) effluent resulted in 30 and 57 % of degradation, respectively. Solar-induced AOP of C and E(1) effluents resulted in 53 and 43 % degradation under optimized conditions (2.5 g L(-1) ZnO at pH 8.0) after 6 h of exposure. For C effluent, a short duration of solar/ZnO (1 h) prior to biological treatment reduced the time required at biological step from 24 to 12 h for almost same extent (92 %) of degradation. However, sequential biological treatment (24 h) followed by solar/ZnO (2 h) resulted in 85.5 % degradation. In contrast, in the case of E(1) effluent, sequential biological (24 h)-solar/ZnO (2 h) system effectively degrades effluent to 95.4 % as compared to 84.8 % degradation achieved in solar/ZnO (2 h)-biological treatment (24 h) system. In the present study, the sequencing of photocatalysis with the biological treatment is observably efficient and technically viable process for the complete mineralization of the effluents.