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Banić N, Šojić Merkulov D, Despotović V, Finčur N, Ivetić T, Bognár S, Jovanović D, Abramović B. Rapid Removal of Organic Pollutants from Aqueous Systems under Solar Irradiation Using ZrO 2/Fe 3O 4 Nanoparticles. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27228060. [PMID: 36432160 PMCID: PMC9698733 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27228060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Pure water scarcity is an emerging, all-around problem that globally affects both the life quality and the world's economy. Heterogeneous photocatalysis under solar irradiation is a promising technique for the organic pollutants (e.g., pesticides, drugs) removal from an aqueous environment. Furthermore, the drawbacks of commercially available photocatalysts can be successfully overcome by using innovative nanoparticles, such as ZrO2/Fe3O4. Four ZrO2/Fe3O4 nanopowders with a different mass ratio of ZrO2 and Fe3O4 were synthesized using the chemical co-precipitation method. XRD analysis showed the presence of magnetite and hematite Fe-oxide phases in all samples. The content of the magnetite phase increased with the addition of 19% ZrO2. The efficiency of the newly synthesized ZrO2/Fe3O4 nanoparticles was investigated in the rapid removal of selected pollutants under various experimental conditions. Nevertheless, the influence of the water matrix on photocatalytic degradation was also examined. The obtained data showed that using ZrO2/Fe3O4 nanosystems, an appropriate removal rate of the selected pesticides and pharmaceuticals can be reached after 120 min of solar irradiation. Further, the total organic carbon measurements proved the mineralization of the target emerging pollutants. ZrO2/Fe3O4 nanoparticles are economically feasible, as their removal from the suspension can be easily achieved using affordable, environmentally-friendly magnetic separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nemanja Banić
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Daniela Šojić Merkulov
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Vesna Despotović
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Nina Finčur
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Tamara Ivetić
- Department of Physics, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 4, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Szabolcs Bognár
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dušica Jovanović
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Biljana Abramović
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Correspondence:
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