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Abstract
A low-cost composite of activated charcoal supported titanate nanotubes (TNTs@AC) was developed via the facile hydrothermal method to remove the 17β-estradiol (E2, a model of pharmaceutical and personal care products) in water matrix by initial adsorption and subsequent photo-degradation. Characterizations indicated that the modification occurred, i.e., the titanate nanotubes would be grafted onto the activated charcoal (AC) surface, and the micro-carbon could modify the tubular structure of TNTs. E2 was rapidly adsorbed onto TNTs@AC, and the uptake reached 1.87 mg/g from the dual-mode model fitting. Subsequently, the adsorbed E2 could be degraded 99.8% within 2 h under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. TNTs@AC was attributed with a unique hybrid structure, providing the hydrophobic effect, π−π interaction, and capillary condensation for E2 adsorption, and facilitating the electron transfer and then enhancing photocatalytic ability for E2-degradation. In addition, the removal mechanism of E2 was elucidated through the density functional theory calculation. Our study is expected to provide a promising material for environmental application.
Highlights
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), as typical pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), have been widely/frequently detected in the natural water, wastewater, and sediment [1,2]
Liu et al [26], neat activated charcoal was in bulk with the flat surface
Titanate nanotubes (TNTs) exhibited hollow multilayered nanotubes with open-top structures, which have the inner diameter as 4.5 nm (Figure 1)
Summary
Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), as typical pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), have been widely/frequently detected in the natural water, wastewater, and sediment [1,2]. The negative effects of EDCs on human health and ecosystems have drawn significant attention [1,2]. Among these EDCs, 17β-estradiol (E2) is of great concern due to its high reactivity for endocrine activity, i.e., favorable to bind with estrogen receptors [3,4]. Even at low concentration (ng/L–μg/L), E2 is still hard to be removed by conventional wastewater treatment plants due to the resistance to biodegradation, resulting in the discharge to the natural environment [5]. Considering the poor biodegradability of E2, some strategies have been applied to remove E2, such as adsorption [6], filtration [7], flocculation [8], and advanced oxidation process (AOP) [9]
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