• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.9 no.6
• /
• pp.393-403
• /
• 2018

In this research commercial polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was modified using $TiO_2$ nanoparticles (P-25 Degussa) and further irradiated using UV light to overcome the hydrophobicity and fouling nature of the membrane. Further the membranes were characterized using SEM and FTIR. Contact angle measurements study confirmed the hydrophilic tendency of the modified membrane by decreasing the contact angle from $73^{\circ}$ to $20.28^{\circ}$. The modified membranes showed higher flux and better anti-fouling properties as compared to the unmodified counterparts. The optimum conditions were found to be 0.5 wt% $TiO_2$ loading with 60 min membrane immersion and 10 min UV light illumination. The effect of different pH conditions of feed was analysed. Real wastewater filtration experiments also indicated better performance of modified membranes as opposed to neat PES membranes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.154-159
• /
• 1999

EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), a chelating agent is most widely used in industrial applications, especially for cleaning of metals in water, frequently prohibits metal removal from water in conventional water treatment technologies. It could be easier to remove aqueous metal ions by the breakdown of DETA complexed bonds first. This study investigated the availability of $TiO_2$ photo-catalysis for the aqueous phase oxidation of Cu(II)-EDTA, under an aerobic condition at $20^{\circ}C$ with $TiO_2$ (Degussa P-25) and 1.79mM of Cu(II)-EDTA. When $TiO_2$ loading was 2.0 g/L, the photo-catalytic oxidation of Cu(II)-EDTA was maximal. The tendency of EDTA adsorption onto the catalyst surface was affected by $TiO_2$ surface charge, and the oxidation rate of Cu(II)-EDTA by photo-catalysis was shown to be dependent upon the tendency of EDTA adsorption before photo-irradiation.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.330-336
• /
• 2015

Photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution was investigated using $TiO_2$ nanoparticles (Degussa P25) in this study. After a 3 hr photocatalytic reaction (${\lambda}=365nm$ and $I=3mW\;cm^{-2}$, $[TiO_2]=2.0g\;L^{-1}$), 98% of BPA ($1.0{\times}10^{-5}M$) was degraded and 89% of the total organic carbon was removed. In addition, BPA degradation by photolytic, hydrolytic and adsorption reactions was found to be 2%, 5% and 13%, respectively. The reaction rate of BPA degradation by photocatalysis decreased with increasing concentration of methanol that is used as a hydroxyl radical scavenger. This indicates that the reaction between BPA and hydroxyl radical was the key mechanism of BPA degradation. The pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant for this reaction was determined to be $7.94{\times}10^{-4}min^{-1}$, and the time for 90% BPA removal was found to be 25 min. In addition, acute toxicity testing using Daphnia magna neonates (< 24 h old) was carried out to evaluate the reduction of BPA toxicity. Acute toxicity (48 hr) to D. magna was decreased from 2.93 TU (toxic unit) to non-toxic after photocatalytic degradation of BPA for 3 hr. This suggests that there was no formation of toxic degradation products from BPA photocatalysis.

• Solar Energy
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.65-75
• /
• 1995

We have summarised some important aspects of our recent basic and applied studies in the area of photocatalytic detoxifcation with Degussa P25 titanium dioxide($TiO_2$) being the photocatalyst. Heterogeneousphotocatalytic decompositions of two components such as TCE-chloroform, TCE-phenol and TCE-benzene as well as single component organic, TCE, chloroform and $CCl_4$ were carried out to investigate the effect of additional compound on the TCE decomposition rate. In laboratory experiments, the optimum flow rate of TCE solution was $200cm^3/min$ with annular photoreactor in the presence of 0.1 wt% $TiO_2$ powder under illumination. It was observed that the second compound such as $CHCl_3$, phenol and benzene has a negative effect on the TCE decomposition rate. Result presented that TCE decomposition ratio was increased at low pH in the TCE-phenol two component solution. It could be shown that the photocatalytic reactor exhibits technical feasibility of detoxifying the multicomponent under proper experimental conditions.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.40-45
• /
• 2007

Methylene blue(MB) was photocatalytically degraded with one-body photoanode and solar simulator to investigate the possible application to both environmental purification and photoelectrochemical cell for hydrogen production. Photoactive titanium dioxide was formed on both sides of Ti plate following steps such as rinsing-annealing-calcination or anodizing(20 V, 30 V)-annealing($350^{\circ}C$, $450^{\circ}C)$ after etching. The prepared titania plate($2cm{\times}2\;cm$, ca 1.6 mg $TiO_2$ on the basis of $1\;{\mu}m$ thickness) was used to degrade MB(10 ppm in 200 mL solution). The reaction tended to follow the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics with zero order. Comparative experiments with Degussa P25 showed the same zero order kinetics when 2 mg of P25 had been used, while the first order kinetics when 200 mg used. This concludes the feasibility of the prepared titania plate as a material for the purification of low-level harmful organics and an electrode or a membrane for photoelectrochemical system for hydrogen production.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.241-248
• /
• 1999

The photocatalytic decolorization and photodegradation of wastewater contamininated with dyes such as methyleneblue tetrahydrate(MBT), methyl orange(MO), phenol red(PR) and the mixed dyes have been studied using a batch reactor in the presence of aerotropic and titania. Degussa P25 titanium oxide was used as the photocatalyst and proved to be effective for the dyes-degradation when irradiated with UV-light source emitting the wavelength of 253.7 nm in the presence of air. In addition to removing the color from the wastewater, the photocatalytic reaction simultaneously reduced the COD and optical density which suggests that the dissolved organic compounds have been photooxidized. The reaction rate of disappearance of the dyes were measured as a function of the irradiation times. The photooxidative procedure of the aquatic solution have the first order reaction-kinetics. The rate constants were increased in the order of PR < MBT < $gL^{-1}-TiO_2$ powder were irradiated with the UV -light source.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.123-126
• /
• 2011

Titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) thin films were deposited by the sol-gel method with a surfactant-assisted mechanism. Its application for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to characterize the surface characteristics of thin films. Photovoltaic-current density measurements were performed to determine the photoelectrochemical properties of the thin films and the performance of DSSCs. Energy conversion efficiency of about 6.1% was achieved for cells with conductive glass under illumination with AM 1.5 (100 $mWcm^{-2}$) simulated sunlight. Investigation showed higher photo-energy conversion efficiency for mesoporous $TiO_2$ nanocrystalline films used in DSSCs relative to commercially available Degussa P25 films.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Industrial Safety Conference
• /
• 1998.11a
• /
• pp.77-81
• /
• 1998

$TiO_2$에 의한 광촉매 반응을 환경 분야에 도입시켜 본격적으로 연구하기 시작하기는 '80년대 후반부터의 일이다. 광촉매로는 $TiO_2$계 이외에 $SrTiO_3$계, $K_4$$Nb_{6}$$O_{17}$계가 알려져 있지만, $TiO_2$계 촉매가 보다 많이 연구되어져 있다.이처럼 $TiO_2$가 환경정화용 광촉매 등에서 주목을 받고 있는 이유는 $TiO_2$의 밴드갭(band gap) 에너지가 약 3.2ev로 390nm이하의 파장을 갖인 광에너지(UV)는 이들의 전자(electron)를 여기(exite)시키는데 충분한 것으로 알려져 있기 때문이다. 따라서 지금까지 사용된 광촉매로는 $TiO_2$(Degussa P-25) anatase type이 가장 많이 알려져 있으나 비표면적이 42$m^2$/g정도로 적어 효율성 떨어진다는 단점이 있어 비표면적을 크게하려는 노력이 꾸준히 연구되어 왔다. (중략)

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.30 no.11
• /
• pp.2613-2616
• /
• 2009

FeOOH/$TiO_2$, a heterojunction structure between FeOOH and $TiO_2$, was prepared by covering the surface of the $\sim$100-nm-sized FeOOH particles with Degussa P25 by applying maleic acid as an organic linker. Under visible light irradiation (${\lambda}{\geq}$ 420 nm), FeOOH/$TiO_2$ showed a notable photocatalytic activity in removal of gaseous 2-propanol and evolution of $CO_2$. It was found that FeOOH reveals a profound absorption in the spectral range of 400 - 550 nm, and its valence band (VB) level is located relatively lower than that of $TiO_2$. The considerable photocatalytic efficiency of the FeOOH/$TiO_2$ under visible light irradiation was therefore deduced to be caused by the hole transfer between the VB of FeOOH and $TiO_2$.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.162-165
• /
• 2016

APhotocatalysis process uses ambient oxygen from air and irradiation, fundamentally UV light, to generate oxidation and reduction which can degrade almost all harmful organic and inorganic compounds to nontoxic substances. This study was focused on enhancement of photocatalytic activity which improves the photocatlytic efficiency with $TiO_2$ particle by mixing of certain amounts of Zn particles. We analyzed degradation of organic pollutant materials such as toluene and phenol with the mixed photocatalysis by using UV-visible spectrophotometer and obtained a result that photocatalytic activity is increased with increasing amount of Zn particle. Especially, in the case of $TiO_2$ (1 mmol) and Zn (0.1 mmol) mixture photocatalyst, we obtained at least 2 times higher photocatalytic activity compared with the commercially available $TiO_2$ photocatalyst (Degussa P-25), indicating that our mixed photocatalyts (Zn-doped $TiO_2$) is very effective of removing both organic dye and pollutants and the conversion rate of toluene is much faster than that of phenol.