Abstract
Niobium-based metal oxides are emerging semiconductor materials with barely explored properties for photocatalytic wastewater remediation. Brazil possesses the greatest reserves of niobium worldwide, being a natural resource that is barely exploited. Environmental applications of solar active niobium photocatalysts can provide opportunities in the developing areas of Northeast Brazil, which receives over 22 MJ m2 of natural sunlight irradiation annually. The application of photocatalytic treatment could incentivize water reuse practices in small and mid-sized textile businesses in the region. This work reports the facile synthesis of Nb2O5 catalysts and explores their performance for the treatment of colored azo dye effluents. The high photoactivity of this alternative photocatalyst makes it possible to quickly obtain complete decolorization, in less than 40 min of treatment. The optimal operational conditions are defined as 1.0 g L−1 Nb2O5 loading in slurry, 0.2 M of H2O2, pH 5.0 to treat up to 15 mg L−1 of methyl orange solution. To evaluate reutilization without photocatalytic activity loss, the Nb2O5 was recovered after the experience and reused, showing the same decolorization rate after several cycles. Therefore, Nb2O5 appears to be a promising photocatalytic material with potential applicability in wastewater treatment due to its innocuous character and high stability.
Highlights
New trends in photocatalysis aim to identify niche applications for emerging semiconductor materials within a sustainable context
The potential application of Nb2 O5 for photocatalytic decontamination and decolorization of wastewater containing azo dyes was proved on basis of the efficient removal of a model pollutant: methyl orange (MO)
A novel Nb2 O5 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a facile calcination method from a natural precursor extracted as a natural resource in Brazil and characterized
Summary
New trends in photocatalysis aim to identify niche applications for emerging semiconductor materials within a sustainable context. Enabling the use of the natural sunlight irradiation would reduce operational expenditure, providing the opportunity for technology adaptation by regions with high solar radiation. The most remarkable aspect for their application in Brazil is their wide availability in the country, which is the major producer of niobium worldwide, with 99.0% of the world’s niobium being located in Brazil [10]. Sustainable exploitation of this resource for environmental applications may positively affect socio-economic aspects, since few applications of niobium have been identified
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