Photocatalytic degradation of hydrocarbons and methylene blue using floatable titanium dioxide catalysts in contaminated water

Abstract

Photocatalytic disintegration is a novel approach to eliminate pollution. The method utilizes the semiconductor titanium dioxide to degrade organic molecules in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light. In this study, it is shown how the capabilities of several types of catalyst designs degrade the non-polar substance diesel fuel and the polar substance methylene blue. The floating design of foam glass coated with titanium dioxide could reduce the concentration of diesel fuel by 329 mg/L in 16 h; the submerged designs for coated glass fiber and coated steel grit could reduce methylene blue concentration by 96.6% after 4 h and 99.1% after 6 h, respectively. It could be shown that photocatalysis is a promising cost- and energy-efficient method for managing air and water pollution. It can be established as a low-technology method without requiring the use of a conventional source of energy, given an adequate amount of sun hours, or as an additional cleaning stage in water treatment plants using UV-LEDs. HIGHLIGHTS Floating photocatalysts for solar photocatalysis.; Low tech application for the treatment of surface water.; Inexpensive material based on titanium dioxide.;

Keywords

• clean-up
• mineral oil
• petrol-derived hydrocarbons
• photocatalysis
• titanium dioxide