Natural Solar Radiation Research Articles

Potential use of waste foundry sand in dual process (photocatalysis and photo-Fenton) for the effective removal of phenazone from water: Slurry and fixed-bed approach

In this study, degradation of a pharmaceutical drug, Phenazone (PNZ) has been carried out via heterogeneous photocatalysis, photo-Fenton and in-situ dual process (photocatalysis + photo-Fenton) in suspension and fixed-mode under artificial UV-A as well as under natural solar radiations. Waste material such as foundry sand (FS) was exploited as a supplement for iron in case of photo-Fenton reaction. The distinct processes including photocatalysis and photo-Fenton were found to be competent for the degradation of PNZ as both processes revealed an almost 90–95% removal of PNZ after 180 min of UV irradiations. The degradation was improved to a great extent with remarkable reduction in treatment time of PNZ to almost 105 min when these two individual processes were combined together within the same unit. An almost 14% synergy of dual process over distinct processes was obtained. For fixed-bed studies, TiO2 immobilized hollow circular composite disc already containing FS was utilized which yielded an almost 96% reduction in the concentration of PNZ after 4 h of solar irradiations. The disc was recycled 10 times and its stability and activity was confirmed through XRD, SEM/EDS, and DRS. The mineralization of PNZ was confirmed through significant reduction in COD and generation of anions during the treatment process. The transformation products were examined through GC-MS analysis. The novel technique of in-situ dual process especially in fixed-mode visualized in this study by employing renewable energy and durable catalyst can represent a viable solution to various industries for the treatment of wastewater comprising of bio-recalcitrant pollutants.

Photocatalytic Solar Light H2 Production by Aqueous Glucose Reforming

A series of tungsten and nitrogen doped Pt‐TiO2 samples were prepared with the aim to extend the TiO2 absorption to the visible light region and to enhance the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron/hole pairs. The physicochemical features of the powders were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV/Vis reflectance spectra, specific surface area (SSA) determinations, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The influence of the presence of different doping agents was evaluated, under anaerobic conditions, in the aqueous photo‐reforming of glucose to form H2 at ambient pressure and temperature under a halogen lamp or natural solar light irradiation. Arabinose, erythrose, and formic acid were the main glucose partial oxidation products observed in the liquid phase, whilst H2 and CO2 were measured in the gaseous phase. The highest H2 production was observed in the presence of the Pt‐TiO2‐W0.25 sample.

Photochemical activation of seemingly inert SO42− in specific water environments

Sulfate ions (SO42−) are ubiquitous in aqueous environments and are generally considered to be inert due to their chemical stability. For the first time, we found that SO42− can be activated into SO42--type radicals (e.g., SO3-, SO5-, SO4-) in the presence of phenolic compounds under simulated or natural solar irradiation. In turn, the radicals promoted the transformation and mineralization of phenolic compounds compared to that in the absence of SO42− with reaction rate constants ranging from 0.008 h−1 to 0.021 h−1. In addition, the activation mechanisms of inert SO42− in the photochemical transformation of phenolic compounds were elucidated. A hydrated electron (eaq−) is first generated during the photolysis of phenolic compounds and is the most important step in the activation of SO42−. Then, the eaq− reduces SO42− to SO32−, and SO32− is further photochemical activated to become a reactive species (e.g., eaq− and SO3-), which can evolve into strong oxidants (e.g., SO5- and SO4-), via a series of radical chain reactions. These oxidants are responsible for the enhanced phenolic compound degradation. The photochemical activation of seemingly inert SO42− sheds new light on studies on the transport, transformation and environmental impact of matter (e.g., phenolic compounds) in specific water environments and provides a novel strategy for the generation of SO4- and photochemical removal of phenolic pollutants.

PH-Mediated Collective and Selective Solar Photocatalysis by a Series of Layered Aurivillius Perovskites.

Semiconductor photocatalysis under natural sunlight is an emergent area in contemporary materials research, which has attracted considerable attention toward the development of catalysts for environmental remediation using solar energy. A series of five-layer Aurivillius-phase perovskites, Bi5ATi4FeO18 (A = Ca, Sr, and Pb), are synthesized for the first time. Rietveld refinements of the powder X-ray diffraction data indicated orthorhombic structure for the Aurivillius phases with Fe largely occupying the central octahedral layer, whereas the divalent cations (Ca, Sr, and Pb) are statistically distributed over the cubo-octahedral A-sites of the perovskite. The compounds with visible-light-absorbing ability (Eg ranging from ∼2.0 to 2.2 eV) not only exhibit excellent collective photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B–methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B–rhodamine 6G mixture at pH 2 but also show almost 100% photocatalytic selective degradation of MB from the rhodamine B–MB mixture at pH 11 under natural solar irradiation. The selectivity in the alkaline medium is believed to originate from the combined effect of the photocatalytic degradation of MB by the Aurivillius-phase perovskites and the photolysis of MB. Although a substantial decrease in MB adsorption from the mixed dye solution (MB + RhB) together with slower MB photolysis at the neutral pH makes the selective MB degradation sluggish, the compounds showed excellent photocatalytic degradation activity and chemical oxygen demand removal efficacy toward individual RhB (at pH 2) and MB (at pH 11) under sunlight irradiation. The catalysts are exceptionally stable and retain good crystallinity even after five successive cyclic runs without any noticeable loss of activity in both the acidic and alkaline media. The present work provides an important insight into the development of layered perovskite photocatalysts for collective degradation of multiple pollutants and selective removal of one or multiple pollutants from a mixture. The later idea may open up new possibilities for recovery/purification of useful chemical substances from the contaminated medium through selective photocatalysis.

Antibiotic contaminated water treated by photo driven advanced oxidation processes: Ultraviolet/H2O2 vs ultraviolet/peracetic acid

The release of antibiotics in aquatic ecosystems from the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) is of great concern due to possible chronic toxic effects as well as contribution to antibiotic resistance spread. In the present work, the degradation of the antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAP) by ultraviolet (UV)/peracetic acid (PAA) (an advanced oxidation process that has been poorly investigated so far) and UV/H2O2 processes as well as its transformation products were studied under different light sources. UV-C/PAA process was found to be effective in the degradation of CAP (half life time (t1/2) = 20 min, initial CAP concentration 25 mg/L), but not effective when solar radiation was used as light source. It is worthy to note that the presence of H2O2 in the commercial PAA solution significantly affected the removal efficiency of CAP by UV-C/PAA process. When H2O2 was quenched by catalase addition, t1/2 increased to 99 min, meaning that PAA can still produce hydroxyl radicals but at a lower rate compared to H2O2. Moreover, process efficiency further decreased in the presence of both solar simulated and natural solar irradiation, being CAP removal also the result of thermal decomposition. The transformation products detected during CAP degradation by UV-C/PAA were different respect to those produced during UV-C/H2O2 process. In particular, after 120 min most of the compounds detected presented a molecular weight >300 m/z., meaning that UV-C/PAA process needs more time to degrade the transformation products.

Kinetic and ecotoxicological evaluation of the direct orange 26 dye degradation by Fenton and solar photo-Fenton processes

The presence of color in textile effluents has been studied because of the need for more effective treatments. Therefore, advanced oxidative processes (AOP) have been used in the degradation of dyes, as well as in the conversion of organic matter. This study evaluated the degradation of the direct orange 26 textile dye by Fenton and photo-Fenton processes (with natural solar radiation). A statistical analysis, based on factorial 23 indicated the best working conditions, being: [H2O2] = 100 mg·L-1 and pH 3-4, for both AOP in that the [Fe] = 1 e 5 mg·L-1, for photo-Fenton and Fenton, respectively. The results of the kinetic studies demonstrated a good fit to the nonlinear kinetic model proposed by Chan and Chu, with values of R2 > 0,996 (photo-fenton) and R2 > 0,939 (Fenton). The tests performed to evaluate the chemical oxygen demand indicated conversions of 62.05% (Fenton) and 66.41% (photo-Fenton). Finally, the ecotoxicity study indicated that the post-treatment samples were non-toxic to the bacteria Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis but showed growth inhibition for Lactuca sativa (Fenton and photo-Fenton) seeds and for Brassica juncea and Portulaca grandiflora (Fenton).

Antimicrobial activity of printed composite TiO2/SiO2 and TiO2/SiO2/Au thin films under UVA-LED and natural solar radiation

Composite TiO2/SiO2 porous coatings modified with bipyramid-like gold nanoparticles were prepared by means of sol-gel and inkjet printing technique, comprehensively characterized and studied for photocatalytic disinfection of drinking water with fecal contamination by natural bacteria consortia. Photocatalytic antimicrobial activity of prepared thin films was evaluated against gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Total coliforms) and gram-positive bacteria (Enterococci). Elimination rate of all tested bacteria increased when photocatalytic coatings were used in comparison with solar disinfection. The best results in terms of antimicrobial activity were obtained with TiO2/SiO2/Au thin films under natural solar radiation, which demonstrated the highest antimicrobial activity, enhancing the inactivation rates of E. coli, Total coliforms and Enterococci 1.5, 1.3 and 1.6 times, respectively as compared to solar disinfection without photocatalyst. Remarkable difference in bacteria sensitivity for photocatalytic disinfection was observed with trend E. coli > Total coliforms > Enterococci. No release of gold and titanium was detected during photocatalytic water disinfection test. Regrowth of E. coli, Total coliforms and Enterococci after photocatalytic bacteria inactivation under UVA-LED and natural solar radiation was lower than 1% (24, 48 and 72 h), indicating potential application of prepared coatings for production of safe drinking water.

Heteroatom‐Doped Carbon Dots (CDs) as a Class of Metal‐Free Photocatalysts for PET‐RAFT Polymerization under Visible Light and Sunlight

AbstractA key challenge of photoregulated living radical polymerization is developing efficient and robust photocatalysts. Now carbon dots (CDs) have been exploited for the first time as metal‐free photocatalysts for visible‐light‐regulated reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Screening of diverse heteroatom‐doped CDs suggested that the P‐ and S‐doped CDs were effective photocatalysts for RAFT polymerization under mild visible light following a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) involved oxidative quenching mechanism. PET‐RAFT polymerization of various monomers with temporal control, narrow dispersity (Đ≈1.04), and chain‐end fidelity was achieved. Besides, it was demonstrated that the CD‐catalyzed PET‐RAFT polymerization was effectively performed under natural solar irradiation.

Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Dots (CDs) as a Class of Metal-Free Photocatalysts for PET-RAFT Polymerization under Visible Light and Sunlight.

A key challenge of photoregulated living radical polymerization is developing efficient and robust photocatalysts. Now carbon dots (CDs) have been exploited for the first time as metal-free photocatalysts for visible-light-regulated reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Screening of diverse heteroatom-doped CDs suggested that the P- and S-doped CDs were effective photocatalysts for RAFT polymerization under mild visible light following a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) involved oxidative quenching mechanism. PET-RAFT polymerization of various monomers with temporal control, narrow dispersity (Đ≈1.04), and chain-end fidelity was achieved. Besides, it was demonstrated that the CD-catalyzed PET-RAFT polymerization was effectively performed under natural solar irradiation.

Clean water generation with switchable dispersion of multifunctional Fe3O4-reduced graphene oxide particles

With the increased need for clean water and decreased supply of fresh water, purification of contaminated water can provide clean water that supplements the fresh water from nature. Physical adsorption, photo-degradation and solar-driven evaporation processes are promising ways to generate clean water with minimum environmental impact. However, different purification process requires different dispersion state of the treating agent to maximize its performance. Herein, we demonstrate that Fe3O4-reduced graphene oxide (MrGO) particles with switchable dispersion can be used as the multifunctional water treating agents to efficiently purify contaminated water through different processes. Under homogenously dispersed nanofluid mode, the MrGO particles have large exposed surface areas and can efficiently remove organic dye pollutants through physical adsorption. The uniform dispersion state also favors high contact efficiency facilitating decontamination of high concentration of organic compounds through solar-driven photocatalytic degradation by the MrGO particles. The excellent magnetic response of MrGO particles not only allows for easy collection of the treating agent from water but also enables assembly of MrGO at the air-water interface with external magnets. Under such interfacial assembled mode, clean water can be distilled out of the contaminated solution with high evaporation efficiency of 74.7% under simulated natural solar radiation. This work demonstrates that dispersion state can be used as another important means to optimize water purification performances.

Abatement of 2,4-D by H2O2 solar photolysis and solar photo-Fenton-like process with minute Fe(III) concentrations

The Photo-Fenton-like (PF-like) process with minute Fe(III) concentrations and the Hydrogen Peroxide Photolysis (HPP), using Xe-lamp or solar light as sources of irradiation, were efficiently applied to eliminate the herbicide 2,4-D from water.PF-like experiments concerning ferric and H2O2 concentrations of 0.6 mg L−1 and 20 mg L−1 respectively, using Xenon lamps (Xe-lamps) as a source of irradiation and 2,4-D concentrations of 10 mg L−1 at pH 3.6, exhibited complete 2,4-D degradation and 77% dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal after 30 min and 6 h of irradiation respectively whereas HPP (in absence of ferric ions) experiments showed a 2,4-D reduction and DOC removal of 90% and 7% respectively after 6 h of irradiation. At pH 7.0, HPP process achieved a 2,4-D abatement of approximately 75% and a DOC removal of 4% after 6 h. PF-like exhibited slightly improved 2,4-D and DOC removals (80% and 12% respectively) after the same irradiation time probably due to the low pH reduction (from 7.0 to 5.6). Several chlorinated-aromatic intermediates were identified by HPLC-MS. These by-products were efficiently removed by PF at pH 3.6, whereas at neutral PF-like and acid or neutral HPP, they were not efficiently degraded. With natural solar light irradiation, 10 and 1 mg L−1 of 2,4-D were abated using minor H2O2 concentrations (3, 6, 10 and 20 mg L−1) and iron at 0.6 mg L−1 in Milli-Q water. Similar results to Xe-lamp experiments were obtained, where solar UV-B + A light H2O2 photolysis (HPSP) and solar photo-Fenton-like (SPF-like) played an important role and even at low H2O2 and ferric concentrations of 3 and 0.6 mg L−1 respectively, 2,4-D was efficiently removed at pH 3.6. Simulated surface water at pH 3.6 containing 1 mg L−1 2,4-D, 20 mg L−1 H2O2 and 0.6 mg L−1 Fe(III) under natural sunlight irradiation efficiently removed the herbicide and its main metabolite 2,4-DCP after 30 min of treatment while at neutral pH, 40% of herbicide degradation was achieved. In the case of very low iron concentrations (0.05 mg L−1) at acid pH, 150 min of solar treatment was required to remove 2,4-D.

Predicting phototoxicity of alkylated PAHs, mixtures of PAHs, and water accommodated fractions (WAF) of neat and weathered petroleum with the phototoxic target lipid model.

The toxicity of petroleum can increase considerably after exposure to solar radiation, during which certain components in the mixture, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), absorb light in ultraviolet and visible portions of the solar radiation spectrum. A phototoxic target lipid model (PTLM), previously developed to predict the phototoxicity of single PAHs, is validated for 4 species (Americamysis bahia, Rhepoxynius abronius, Daphnia magna, and Pimephales promelas) exposed to 12 compounds that are components of petroleum, including alkylated PAHs and dibenzothiophene. The PTLM is also used to predict the phototoxicity of binary and ternary mixtures of 3 PAHs, pyrene, anthracene, and fluoranthene, to A. bahia and Menidia beryllina. Finally, it is used to predict the toxicity of water accommodated fractions of neat and naturally weathered Macondo crude oil samples from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill sites. The Gulf of Mexico species, including A. bahia, M. beryllina, Cyprinodon variegatus, and Fundulus grandis were exposed to the oil samples under natural and simulated solar radiation. The results support the applicability of the PTLM for predicting the phototoxicity of petroleum. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2165-2174. © 2018 SETAC.

Wind Speed Affects Pollination Success in Blackberries

Pollination of wild plants and agricultural crops is a vitally important ecosystem service. Many landscape and environmental factors influence the pollination success of crops, including distance from natural habitat, wind speed, and solar radiation. Although there is a general consensus that increasing distance from forest decreases pollination success, few studies have examined the influence of specific environmental factors. In this study, we examined which environmental factors influence the pollination success of blackberries (Rubus glaucus). We measured the number of fruitlets per berry, a proxy for pollination success, as well as the weight and sweetness of each berry. Our results indicate that number of fruitlets is positively correlated with wind speed, but number of unripe red berries per bush is negatively correlated with wind speed. In addition, sweetness increased with increasing numbers of red berries per bush but was lower when flowers and berries were present, though this result should be considered with caution due to methodological limitations. Our findings suggest that a little studied environmental factor, wind, has a large impact on the number of fruitlets in blackberries. Although our findings should be confirmed in other locations to draw broader conclusions, they suggest that producers should consider the effect of wind on blackberry yield to optimize blackberry production.

Ocean acidification stimulates particulate organic carbon accumulation in two Antarctic diatom species under moderate and high natural solar radiation.

Impacts of rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and increased daily irradiances from enhanced surface water stratification on phytoplankton physiology in the coastal Southern Ocean remain still unclear. Therefore, in the two Antarctic diatoms Fragilariopsis curta and Odontella weissflogii, the effects of moderate and high natural solar radiation combined with either ambient or future pCO 2 on cellular particulate organic carbon (POC) contents and photophysiology were investigated. Results showed that increasing CO 2 concentrations had greater impacts on diatom physiology than exposure to increasing solar radiation. Irrespective of the applied solar radiation regime, cellular POC quotas increased with future pCO 2 in both diatoms. Lowered maximum quantum yields of photochemistry in PSII (Fv/Fm) indicated a higher photosensitivity under these conditions, being counteracted by increased cellular concentrations of functional photosynthetic reaction centers. Overall, our results suggest that both bloom‐forming Antarctic coastal diatoms might increase carbon contents under future pCO 2 conditions despite reduced physiological fitness. This indicates a higher potential for primary productivity by the two diatom species with important implications for the CO 2 sequestration potential of diatom communities in the future coastal Southern Ocean.

Effects of natural solar UV-B radiation on three Arabidopsis accessions are strongly affected by seasonal weather conditions

Large numbers of studies have reported on the responses of plants that are exposed to a specific dose of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. However, in the natural environment UV-B is a highly dynamic variable with UV-B intensities depending on, amongst others, geographic, temporal, weather and climatic factors. Furthermore, UV-B effects on plants can potentially be modulated by other environmental variables, and vice versa. This study aimed to characterize UV-B effects on plant morphology and accumulation of UV-screening pigments within the context of an oceanic climate and to assess the potential seasonality of plant UV-B responses. Arabidopsis thaliana was grown outdoors under UV-blocking or transmitting filters. Genotypic differences in the adaptive response to UV-B were assessed at seven time-points over a 12 month period and involved the Arabidopsis accessions Ler, Col-0, and Bur-0. Strong seasonal effects were found on rosette morphology and total UV-screening pigment concentrations across the three accessions. Low temperatures were the main determinant of accumulation of UV-absorbing pigments, with no clear UV-B effect observed at any time throughout the year. There was a significant UV effect on morphology during the summer months, and this was most likely associated with stress. This study shows that UV-effects need to be analysed in the context of weather, and other co-occurring natural factors, and emphasizes the importance of a holistic, multifactorial approach for the investigation of environmentally relevant UV-effects.

Zooplankton sensitivity and phytoplankton regrowth for ballast water treatment with advanced oxidation processes.

The ballasting and de-ballasting of ships are two necessary operations with ballast water that provide stability for safe navigation. Empty ships must ballast tanks with water, which contains living organisms and subsequently carries them away from their original distribution. De-ballasting represents an input of still viable zooplankton, phytoplankton, and microorganisms in the destination port, leading to the introduction of alien species, and consequently, the introduction of organisms will alter the local biodiversity. Ballast water treatment is necessary to comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the maximum viable organisms permitted. It is known that UVC eliminates microorganisms, but there are few studies on the other taxonomical groups, such as phytoplankton and zooplankton. The advance oxidation processes (AOPs) with UV-C can be a good alternative to manage the problem of ballast water, primarily for microorganisms. However, for larger organisms, there is more resistance, and, a stage with filtration (by physical filtration or hydrocyclone) is usually required. The filter can fail, or certain zooplankton organisms can escape across the filter and go to the AOPs or UVC reactor. According to the taxonomic group, there can be a different sensitivity to the treatment, and one could survive and generate a risk. The AOPs tested were natural solar radiation (RAD), UV/H2O2, UV/TiO2, UV/TiO2/H2O2, and UV/TiO2/H2O2/RAD. Natural sea water was pumped and treated with the AOPs. The vital zooplankton organisms counted were polychaetes, cladocerans, ostracods, nauplii and calanoid, cyclopoid, and harpacticoid copepods. For the phytoplankton, the abundance was estimated, and the photosystem II efficiency was determined. To evaluate the phytoplankton regrowth after the treatments, the treated water was stored and populations counted for 20days. The most effective treatment for the zooplankton groups was UVC/H2O2. Regarding the sensitivity, the cyclopoid copepods were the most resistant. The nauplii and polychaetes were more likely to be killed by the AOPs, greatly decreasing the risk from nauplii due to their abundance and ease of passing through the filters with their smaller size. Phytoplankton regrowth was observed in all treatments, and it even reached abundance values higher than in the intake water. For instance, additional dark conditions and retreatment on days 3 or 5 are suggested for any treatment.

Natural solar light-driven preparation of plasmonic resonance-based alloy and core-shell catalyst for sustainable enhanced hydrogen production: Green approach and characterization

Plasmonic Co and/or Ag monometal and their combinations as bimetal alloy and core-shell nanoparticles were prepared under natural sun light, using aqueous glycerol (in-situ reducing agent) and TNP (stabilizer). The formation of bimetallic alloy and core-shell NPs, and their uniform dispersion on the surface of TNP were evidenced by different characterization techniques. Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy evidenced the two distinct characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption bands for the core-shell nanoparticles and a single distinct characteristic SPR band for the alloy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the presence of Ag and Co in the metallic form. The results of H2-temperature programmed reduction of fresh and used samples emphasized the characteristic reduction peaks for the reduction of monometal/bimetal oxide to metallic/bimetallic particles. The interaction of the loaded bimetallic particles with TNP resulted in a shift in the Raman bands. The photoluminescence spectra of the used samples revealed the formation of bimetallic alloy and core-shell structures, which resulted in a decrease in the recombination of charge carriers. X-ray diffraction, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry analyses substantiated the same. The monometal-loaded photocatalysts and the bimetal alloy and core-shell nanoparticle-loaded photocatalysts were further examined for H2 production with pure water/aqueous glycerol/crude glycerol under natural solar light irradiation. The (Ag-Co)coloadedTNP catalyst yielded the maximum H2 evolution rate of 63 mmol g−1. For comparison, experiments were conducted under artificial solar light irradiation with similar experimental conditions. Based on the results, different mechanistic paths for insitu photoreduced Ag-Co bimetallic alloy and core-shell nanoparticles on TNP for H2 production are envisaged.

Microstructure and performance of Z-scheme photocatalyst of silver phosphate modified by MWCNTs and Cr-doped SrTiO3 for malachite green degradation

Visible-light-driven photocatalysis as a promising technology has recently attracted great attention in environmental remediation. In this work, novel Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts Ag3PO4@MWCNTs@Cr:SrTiO3 with excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance and photostability were successfully synthesized and characterized. The photocatalytic activity for malachite green (MG) degradation was measured, and photodegradation mechanisms were investigated using GC–MS, ESR, and radical trapping experiments. On consideration of the practical applications, the effects of coexisting ions and pH were also evaluated. Results showed that significant changes of crystal size and micro-morphology for Ag3PO4 were observed before and after the addition of MWCNTs, which transformed from a polyhedron with a diameter of about 30 μm into a spherical-like crystal with a diameter of 0.28–0.69 μm. This phenomenon was reported for the first time. The optimal catalyst with a dosage of 100 mg/g (the mass ratio of pollutant to photocatalyst) could reach 100% MG removal in 6 and 10 min under natural solar radiation and visible light irradiation, respectively. Results from the radical trapping experiments and ESR analysis confirmed that there existed the Z-scheme transfer mechanisms, and O2− and h+ played an important role during the photocatalytic degradation. Several small molecular organic acids such as acetic acid, glyoxylic acid, fumaric acid and benzoic acid were detected by GC–MS in the photodegradation products of MG, which further indicates that photocatalytic degradation pathway involved N-demethylation, benzene removal and open-ring reactions. The performance of the photocatalyst would be inhibited under strong acid condition or at the coexistence of certain concentration of Cr6+ and Cl−. The novel addition of MWCNTs in the preparation and the changes of crystal structure and properties for the photocatalysts have the potential to promote the application of the photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

The sensitization effect of waste toner powder in the photocatalytic degradation of surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate over immobilized TiO2–chitosan layer under UVC and solar irradiation

The application of dye sensitized photocatalysis for the degradation of surfactant in the model wastewater has been studied. The aim was to explore the possibility of the photocatalytic activity enhancement by introducing the waste toner powder in the photocatalytic films. The development and a partial characterization of the supported catalyst were described within this study. Waste toner and commercial TiO2 powder (AEROXIDE® P25) were integrated within the matrix of chitosan molecules as a thin layer films. The developed films contain the high amount of the TiO2 (approx. 90%) which structure appeared to be intact. The efficiency of the photocatalytic films for the oxidation of the anionic surfactant dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) has been evaluated. Preliminary experiments were performed in an annular batch reactor using UVC lamp. Photocatalytic films were supported on the glass, stainless steel and waste offset printing plates. Support was made in a form of plates or rings. Further experiments were performed under artificial and natural solar irradiation whereby photocatalytic films were fixed at the bottom of reaction cell (boat shaped flow reactor). In order to estimate the reaction rate constant for SDBS degradation over irradiated photocatalytic films and to evaluate the effects of photon absorption under different irradiation conditions, a detailed kinetic model was developed. The sensitization effect of the components in toner powder due to the visible light absorption for the photocatalytic oxidation of SDBS under solar irradiation was quantified.

An insight into the photodynamic approach versus copper formulations in the control of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in kiwi plants.

In the last decade, the worldwide production of kiwi fruit has been highly affected by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), a phytopathogenic bacterium; this has led to severe economic losses that are seriously affecting the kiwi fruit trade. The available treatments for this disease are still scarce, with the most common involving frequently spraying the orchards with copper derivatives, in particular cuprous oxide (Cu2O). However, these copper formulations should be avoided due to their high toxicity; therefore, it is essential to search for new approaches for controlling Psa. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) may be an alternative approach to inactivate Psa. aPDT consists in the use of a photosensitizer molecule (PS) that absorbs light and by transference of the excess of energy or electrons to molecular oxygen forms highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can affect different molecular targets, thus being very unlikely to lead to the development of microbe resistance. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aPDT to photoinactivate Psa, using the porphyrin Tetra-Py+-Me and different light intensities. The degree of inactivation of Psa was assessed using the PS at 5.0 μM under low irradiance (4.0 mW cm-2). Afterward, ex vivo experiments, using artificially contaminated kiwi leaves, were conducted with a PS at 50 μM under 150 mW cm-2 and sunlight irradiation. A reduction of 6 log in the in vitro assays after 90 min of irradiation was observed. In the ex vivo tests, the decrease was lower, approximately 1.8 log reduction at an irradiance of 150 mW cm-2, 1.2 log at 4.0 mW cm-2, and 1.5 log under solar radiation. However, after three successive cycles of treatment under 150 mW cm-2, a 4 log inactivation was achieved. No negative effects were observed on leaves after treatment. Assays using Cu2O were also performed at the recommended concentration by law (50 g h L-1) and at concentrations 10 times lower, in which at both concentrations, Psa was efficiently inactivated (5 log inactivation) after a few minutes of treatment, but negative effects were observed on the leaves after treatment.