Abstract
TiO2immobilized on polyethylene (PET) nonwoven sheet was used in the solar photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). TiO2Evonik Aeroxide P25 was used in this study. The amount of loaded TiO2on PET was approximately 24%. Immobilization of TiO2on PET was conducted by dip coating process followed by exposing to mild heat and pressure. TiO2/PET sheets were wrapped on removable Teflon rods inside home-made bench-scale recirculating flow Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) photoreactor prototype (platform 0.7 × 0.2 × 0.4 m3). CPC photoreactor is made up of seven low iron borosilicate glass tubes connected in series. CPC reflectors are made of stainless steel 304. The prototype was mounted on a platform tilted at 30°N local latitude in Cairo. A centrifugal pump was used to circulate water containing methylene blue (MB) dye inside the glass tubes. Efficient photocatalytic degradation of MB using TiO2/PET was achieved upon the exposure to direct sunlight. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) analyses reveal the complete mineralization of MB. Durability of TiO2/PET composite was also tested under sunlight irradiation. Results indicate only 6% reduction in the amount of TiO2after seven cycles. No significant change was observed for the physicochemical characteristics of TiO2/PET after the successive irradiation processes.
Highlights
Semiconductor photocatalysis is a fast growing area in terms of both research and commercial activities [1]
A field emission scanning electron microscope (QUANTA FEG 250) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) unit was employed to evaluate the elemental composition of TiO2/PET sheets
/PET sheets were heated at The mild temperature and pressure result in the dehydration of water molecules formed by the -OH groups at both PET and TiO2 surfaces leading to successful binding between the adsorbed TiO2 and PET substrate
Summary
Semiconductor photocatalysis is a fast growing area in terms of both research and commercial activities [1]. Different methods have been developed on loading of TiO2 on polymeric sheets from photocatalyst suspensions [20] All these approaches have to fulfill at least three main needs: the long term stability of the photocatalyst immobilization, its availability for heterogeneous photocatalysis, and the low cost of the deposition procedure, in view of a practical application. Loading methods, such as sputtering [21, 22], electrochemical deposition [23], spin coating [24], and electrophoretic coating [25], have been previously utilized for the preparation of titania supported thin films. The physicochemical characterizations of the prepared TiO2/PET composite before and after degradation processes were investigated
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