Abstract
The present study proposes a unique idea of utilizing cementitious materials incorporating iron-rich industrial waste products (IWPs) to support nano-photocatalyst like Titanium dioxide (TiO2) to fabricate a visibly active Fe–TiO2 composite exhibiting antibacterial property. The novelty of the present study lies in formulating a natural doping concept over the conventional techniques to facilitate the photocatalytic properties of the proposed sustainable construction material. To assess the structural performance of the prepared cementitious material, i.e., cement mortar, different physical (porosity, water absorption, and density) and mechanical (compressive strength, flexural strength, and split tensile strength) properties were performed. The results show that the cement mortar mixture FB5F having 15% (10% FA and 5% BS) proportion of conventional cement performed better in terms of workability and durability than other mix designs. Also, the stability and potency of the Fe–TiO2 composite were analyzed using FESEM, EDS, elemental mapping, UV–vis DRS, and XRD. The characterization tests confirmed the iron-titanium (ITO) bond formation with shifting TiO2 from UV to visible light spectrum (Eg = 2.52 eV). The Fe–TiO2 composite was also subjected to an antibacterial check using an aliquot of E. coli bacterial suspension. The composite attained an E. Coli count of about 0.541 log reduction at the end of 45 min and thus, exhibited bacterial disinfection quality. Thus, the Fe–TiO2 composite material proposes an eco-friendly concept which satisfies the requirement for a sustainable and low carbon footprint future which can additionally be used to treat different indoor and outdoor organic contaminants.
Published Version
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