A novel structure of cellulose-TiO2 nanocomposite for ultra-fast and recyclable organic dyes degradation in wastewater

Abstract

TiO2-based nanocomposites have been widely used for wastewater treatment due to their photocatalytic activities and applications. In this work, cellulose-TiO2 nanocomposite powder with a novel structure was successfully prepared by non-sintering low-temperature sol-gel and co-precipitation methods to clean the dye-containing wastewater. The facet {010} of spherical nanocrystalline TiO2 particles was covered by cellulose molecules to improve the adsorption speed and reusability of dye adsorption. The cellulose-TiO2 nanocomposite powder unveiled 100% removal rate of dyes within 30 s under different temperatures and pH conditions, which was quicker than all existing methods to date. This nanocomposite powder also exhibited excellent recyclable performance and adsorbed dyes from dyeing wastewater which could restore the function of adsorbing dye molecules after being irradiated by ultraviolet light or even sunlight. After 7 times of duty-cycle operation, the dye removal rate remained at 72%, which aided high economic value and, thus, it was excellent in practical applications. Moreover, this work introduced a sono-synthesis approach for the production of a cellulose-TiO2 nanocomposite adsorbent, which offered rapid cleaning of various organic dyes from wastewater due to its unique structure. Thus, the present fabricated cellulose-TiO2 nanocomposite powder could be an excellent candidate using dying wastewater treatment for collecting and degrading organic dyes and excellent repeatable performances.