Abstract
The synergistic mechanism of photocatalytic-assisted dye degradation has been demonstrated using a hybrid ZnO-MoS2-deposited photocatalytic membrane (PCM). Few layers of MoS2 sheets were produced using the facile and efficient surfactant-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation method. In this process, hydrophilic moieties of an anionic surfactant were adsorbed on the surface of MoS2, which aided exfoliation and promoted a stable dispersion due to the higher negative zeta potential of the exfoliated MoS2 sheets. Further, the decoration of ZnO on the exfoliated MoS2 sheets offered a bandgap energy reduction to about 2.77 eV, thus achieving an 87.12% degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye within 15 min of near UV-A irradiation (365 nm), as compared with pristine ZnO achieving only 56.89%. The photocatalysis-enhanced membrane filtration studies on the ZnO-MoS2 PCM showed a complete removal of MB dye (~99.95%). The UV-assisted dye degradation on the ZnO-MoS2 PCM offered a reduced membrane resistance, with the permeate flux gradually improving with the increase in the UV-irradiation time. The regeneration of the active ZnO-MoS2 layer also proved to be quite efficient with no compromise in the dye removal efficiency.
Highlights
The membrane filtration process is one of the most versatile and effective means of water/wastewater treatment technologies, owing to its reduced energy consumption and operating costs
Novel process designs in photocatalytic membrane reactors are continuously emerging to realise the maximum benefit from both photocatalysis and membrane filtration processes [4]
The surface morphology of the Zinc oxide (ZnO)-MoS2 photocatalyst characterised by SEM is shown in
Summary
The membrane filtration process is one of the most versatile and effective means of water/wastewater treatment technologies, owing to its reduced energy consumption and operating costs. The sustainable design of membrane processes is recently gaining more attention, especially with a focus to overcome the fundamental limitations on reject disposal associated with any membrane-based treatment [1]. There are several evidences on integrating different unit operations or chemical processes with membrane separation, yet reject disposal remains challenging in terms of the economic and energy aspects [2,3]. Novel process designs in photocatalytic membrane reactors are continuously emerging to realise the maximum benefit from both photocatalysis and membrane filtration processes [4]. There are associated limitations with slurry/submerged or continuous photocatalytic membrane reactors in terms of photocatalyst regeneration, poor photocatalytic activity, excessive membrane resistance [5] and fouling [6,7]. Photocatalytic membranes (PCM) enable to overcome the above-mentioned limitations wherein the active photocatalytic layer is immobilised on the surface of the membrane rather than the bulk incorporation [8]
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