TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen from wastewater using WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite under UV–VIS irradiation
AU - Yanyan, Lin
AU - Kurniawan, Tonni Agustiono
AU - Ying, Zhang
AU - Albadarin, Ahmad B.
AU - Walker, Gavin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2017/10
Y1 - 2017/10
N2 - This study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen (Ace) from synthetic wastewater by individual TiO2, TiO2/SiO2 and/or WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite under UV–VIS illumination. To characterize changes in their morphology and crystal structures before and after treatment, Χ-ray diffraction (ΧRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), DRS UV–VIS absorption spectra, Brunaer-Emmer-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used. The effects of varying loading ratios of the WO3 on the TiO2/SiO2 composite for Ace degradation were studied. Operating parameters such as initial concentration, reaction time, dose of photocatalyst and pH were tested. Degradation by-products were also presented. It is found that the photodegradation performance of the WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite as a photocatalyst in this study could be enhanced by optimizing the loading ratio of the WO3. About 3% (w/w) of WO3/TiO2/SiO2 was found to improve the degradation of Ace from 33% to 95% at the same initial concentration of 5 mg/L. The resulting oxidation by-products included hydroquinone and 1,4-benzoquinone. Under the same conditions, the result of photocatalytic degradation by the 3% (w/w) of WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite was significantly higher (95%) than that by the individual TiO2/SiO2 (42%) and/or by the TiO2 alone (33%). Under optimized conditions (1.5 g/L; 3% (w/w) of WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite; pH 9; 4 h of reaction time), 95% of Ace removal with an initial concentration of 5 mg/L could be attained. However, the treated effluents still could not meet the discharge standard of < 0.2 mg/L set by China's and US legislation. This indicates that further subsequent treatment like biological processes is still necessary for completing the removal of target pollutant from the wastewater samples.
AB - This study investigates the photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen (Ace) from synthetic wastewater by individual TiO2, TiO2/SiO2 and/or WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite under UV–VIS illumination. To characterize changes in their morphology and crystal structures before and after treatment, Χ-ray diffraction (ΧRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), DRS UV–VIS absorption spectra, Brunaer-Emmer-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used. The effects of varying loading ratios of the WO3 on the TiO2/SiO2 composite for Ace degradation were studied. Operating parameters such as initial concentration, reaction time, dose of photocatalyst and pH were tested. Degradation by-products were also presented. It is found that the photodegradation performance of the WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite as a photocatalyst in this study could be enhanced by optimizing the loading ratio of the WO3. About 3% (w/w) of WO3/TiO2/SiO2 was found to improve the degradation of Ace from 33% to 95% at the same initial concentration of 5 mg/L. The resulting oxidation by-products included hydroquinone and 1,4-benzoquinone. Under the same conditions, the result of photocatalytic degradation by the 3% (w/w) of WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite was significantly higher (95%) than that by the individual TiO2/SiO2 (42%) and/or by the TiO2 alone (33%). Under optimized conditions (1.5 g/L; 3% (w/w) of WO3/TiO2/SiO2 composite; pH 9; 4 h of reaction time), 95% of Ace removal with an initial concentration of 5 mg/L could be attained. However, the treated effluents still could not meet the discharge standard of < 0.2 mg/L set by China's and US legislation. This indicates that further subsequent treatment like biological processes is still necessary for completing the removal of target pollutant from the wastewater samples.
KW - Advanced oxidation process (AOP)
KW - Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDC)
KW - Pharmaceuticals and personal care products
KW - Titanium composite
KW - Wastewater treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028708537&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.molliq.2017.08.092
DO - 10.1016/j.molliq.2017.08.092
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85028708537
SN - 0167-7322
VL - 243
SP - 761
EP - 770
JO - Journal of Molecular Liquids
JF - Journal of Molecular Liquids
ER -