Reusable floating polymer nanocomposite photocatalyst for the efficient treatment of dye wastewaters under scaled-up conditions in batch and recirculation modes
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Date
2019
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John Wiley and Sons Ltd vgorayska@wiley.com Southern Gate Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the last decade, research on floating photocatalysts has increased rapidly with polymer substrates being a popular choice. However, most of the published work is on very small volumes and there is very little work on scale-up of such systems. RESULTS: Polystyrene–titanium dioxide nanocomposite floating films were prepared using a facile solvent casting method and tested for the photocatalytic degradation of four different dyes under UV irradiation. The prepared film was characterised by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and profilometry. Scale-up studies were done in batch mode under optimised conditions, and for the larger reactor volume, the effect of recirculation was studied. Complete decolourisation of the model dye (Remazol Turquoise Blue) was observed within 80 min in the scaled-up batch process. In the recirculation mode, for a much larger volume of the dye solution, around 75% decolourisation in 6 h was observed. The reusability of the photocatalytic film was tested, and the results promise a minimum decolourisation efficiency of around 70%. Finally, total organic carbon (TOC) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis were used to assess the degradation of the dye. The maximum TOC reduction observed was around 25% possibly due to the complex nature of the dye used in this study. The intermediate products of degradation were identified, and a tentative mechanism is suggested. CONCLUSION: This work demonstrates the recirculation aspects of the photocatalytic reactor under the scaled-up conditions for a complex dye. The prepared film showed excellent stability with satisfactory wastewater decontamination under UV irradiation even after repeated use. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
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Keywords
Batch data processing, Chemical industry, Degradation, Film preparation, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Inductively coupled plasma, Irradiation, Liquid chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Nanocomposite films, Nanocomposites, Optical emission spectroscopy, Organic carbon, Photocatalysts, Polystyrenes, Radioactive waste vitrification, Reusability, Scanning electron microscopy, TiO2 nanoparticles, Titanium castings, Titanium dioxide, Wastewater treatment, X ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, Liquid chromatography-Mass spectrometry, Photo catalytic degradation, Photocatalytic reactors, Polymer nanocomposite, Remazol, Wastewater decontamination, Photodegradation, dye, nanocomposite, polystyrene, remazol turquoise blue, titanium dioxide nanoparticle, unclassified drug, Article, batch process, chemical reaction kinetics, comparative study, decolorization, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, investigative procedures, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, nanocatalysis, nanocatalyst, pH, photocatalysis, photodegradation, process optimization, processing, profilometry, recirculation process, reduction (chemistry), scale up, scanning electron microscopy, solvent casting, spectroscopy, total organic carbon, ultraviolet irradiation, waste water management, X ray diffraction, X ray photoemission spectroscopy
Citation
Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 2019, 94, 8, pp. 2597-2608