Determination of chemical oxygen demand values by a photocatalytic oxidation method using nano-TiO2 film on quartz

A COD measurement by a photocatalytic oxidation method using nano-TiO₂ film was investigated. K₂Cr₂O₇ was added into the solution to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation, and simultaneously K₂Cr₂O₇ was reduced to Cr(III) by photogenerated electrons, which were adsorbed on the surface of TiO₂. The measuring principle was based on direct determination of Cr(III) concentration which was proportional to the COD value. Under the optimized experiment condition, the application range was 20-500 mg l⁻¹, and the detection limit was 20 mg l⁻¹. The immobilization of photocatalyst on the supports could not only solve the problem of low recovery of the catalyst and hard separation from the solution, but also overcome its shortcoming of poor stability. Applied this method to the determination of real samples, it was found to be rapid and environmentally friendly. Additionally, the method proposed above for determination of COD was in excellent correspondence with values obtained by using the conventional method.     

Study on photocatalytic oxidation for determination of chemical oxygen demand using a nano-TiO2-K2Cr2O7 system

A photocatalytic method for the determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) using a nano-TiO₂-K₂Cr₂O₇ system is described. The measuring principle is based on direct determination of the change of Cr(III) concentration resulting from photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds and simultaneous photocatalytic reduction of stoichiometrically involved K₂Cr₂O₇ in the solution. The operation conditions were optimized. The determinative COD value using this method was calculated from the absorbance of Cr(III). The operational characteristics of this method were demonstrated by use of a standard glucose solution as substrate. This method was also applied to the determination of the COD of wastewater samples. The results were in good agreement with those from the conventional (i.e., dichromate) COD methods.     

TiO2-KMnO4体系光催化氧化-光度法测定化学需氧量

基于纳米TiO2和KMnO4协同光催化氧化作用原理,建立了纳米光催化氧化体系测定化学需氧量(COD)的新方法.考察了测定化学需氧量的最佳条件,在含有0.1 g TiO2、 0.002 mol/L KMnO4的50 mL体系中,控温60 ℃,光照反应10 min,COD值在2.5～80 mg/L范围内与KMnO4吸光度变化值ΔA呈线性关系,其相应的线性方程为: ΔA=0.0023 ρ(COD) 0.0137,相关系数R=0.9977,COD值的检出限为1.5 mg/L.用该法测定地表水和自来水的COD值,相对标准偏差分别为1.9%和2.9%,标准加入回收率分别为100.5%和97.0%.     

Preparation of photocatalytic nano-ZnO/TiO2 film and application for determination of chemical oxygen demand

A composite nano-ZnO/TiO₂ film as photocatalyst was fabricated with vacuum vaporized and sol-gel methods. The nano-ZnO/TiO₂ film improved the separate efficiency of the charge and extended the range of spectrum, which showed a higher efficiency of photocatalytic than the pure nano-TiO₂ and nano-ZnO film. The photocatalytic mechanism of nano-ZnO/TiO₂ film was discussed, too. A new method for determination of low chemical oxidation demand (COD) value in ground water based on nano-ZnO/TiO₂ film using the photocatalytic oxidation technology was founded. This method was originated from the direct determination of the Mn(VII) concentration change resulting from photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds on the nano-ZnO/TiO₂ film, and the COD values were calculated from the absorbance of Mn(VII). Under the optimal operation conditions, the detection limit of 0.1 mg l⁻¹, COD values with the linear range of 0.3-10.0 mg l⁻¹ were achieved. The results were in good agreement with those from the conventional COD methods.     

Determination of chemical oxygen demand of nitrogenous organic compounds in wastewater using synergetic photoelectrocatalytic oxidation effect at TiO2 nanostructured electrode

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is one of the most important parameters in water quality assessment and monitoring. The natural degradation of nitrogenous organic compounds (NOCs) in water requires significant amounts of oxygen. In the determination of standard COD however, NOCs are persistent compounds that cannot be completely oxidized even in the most oxidative chemical environments, i.e. the reaction media that contain high concentrations of dichromate in strong acid at high temperature. Consequently, the measured COD values of wastewater samples containing NOCs are commonly lower than theoretical COD values and do not reflect the actual oxygen demand of the water body. This problem is partially alleviated when the photoelectrochemical method for COD determination (PeCOD) based on nanostructured TiO₂ photoanode is utilized. To completely overcome this problem, a synergetic photoelectrochemical oxidation effect in thin layer cells is used to achieve complete oxidation of NOCs. This is done by the simple addition of a hydroxyl organic compound (i.e. glucose) into the test sample before the PeCOD measurement. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate that the synergetic PeCOD method provides an effective and reliable means to measure COD values of NOC-containing pollutants without the need for toxic or expensive reagents.     

A surface-fluorinated-TiO2-KMnO4 photocatalytic system for determination of chemical oxygen demand

A new method for chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination has been developed, based on photocatalytic oxidative degradation by using a fluorinated-TiO₂-KMnO₄ system. In such a system, a linear correlation is observed between the amount of oxidizable dissolved organic matter and the amount of MnO₄⁻ consumed by the coupled reduction process. Thus, the COD determination is transformed to a simple and direct determination of the deletion of MnO₄⁻. The surface fluorination of TiO₂ nanoparticles can enhance the rate of photocatalytic oxidation of organic matter and the rate of coupled photocatalytic reduction of MnO₄⁻. This makes the method be rapid, environment friendly and easy for operation. Under optimized conditions, this method can respond linearly to COD of potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) in the range of 0.1-280 mg L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 0.02 mg L⁻¹ COD. The COD in samples of tap water, lake water and paper industry sewage has been determined satisfactorily by using this method.     

Photoelectro-synergistic catalysis combined with a FIA system application on determination of chemical oxygen demand

In this paper, photoelectro-synergistic catalysis oxidation of organics in the water on Ti/TiO₂/PbO₂ electrode was investigated. The prepared TiO₂ film was investigated with Atomic force micrograph (AFM). Furthermore, the results were compared with those obtained from electrocatalysis (EC) and electro-assisted photocatalysis (PC). The method proposed employed photoelectro-synergistic catalysis (PEC), together with flow injection analysis, to determine the chemical oxygen demand (COD) values. It was shown that the method of photoelectro-synergistic catalysis had lower detection limit (15.0 mg l⁻¹) and wider linear range (30.0–2500.0 mg l⁻¹) than the methods of electro-assisted photocatalysis and electrocatalysis. The results obtained by the proposed method and conventional one were compared by carrying out the experiment on 20 wastewater samples and also agreed well by high correlation (R = 0.9912).     

Electrochemical sensing chemical oxygen demand based on the catalytic activity of cobalt oxide film

Cobalt oxide sensing film was in situ prepared on glassy carbon electrode surface via constant potential oxidation. Controlling at 0.8 V in NaOH solution, the high-valence cobalt catalytically oxidized the reduced compounds, decreasing its surface amount and current signal. The current decline was used as the response signal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) because COD represents the summation of reduced compounds in water. The surface morphology and electrocatalytic activity of cobalt oxide were readily tuned by variation of deposition potential, time, medium and Co²⁺ concentration. As confirmed from the atomic force microscopy measurements, the cobalt oxide film, that prepared at 1.3 V for 40 s in pH 4.6 acetate buffer containing 10 mM Co(NO₃)₂, possesses large surface roughness and numerous three-dimensional structures. Electrochemical tests indicated that the prepared cobalt oxide exhibited high electrocatalytic activity to the reduced compounds, accompanied with strong COD signal enhancement. As a result, a novel electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity, rapid response and operational simplicity was developed for COD. The detection limit was as low as 1.1 mg L⁻¹. The analytical application was studied using a large number of lake water samples, and the accuracy was tested by standard method.     

TiO2 nanoparticles incorporated with CuInS2 clusters: preparation and photocatalytic activity for degradation of 4-nitrophenol

TiO₂ nanoparticles incorporated with CuInS₂ clusters were prepared in a solvothermal process and characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersion X-ray analysis (EDX). Compared with pure TiO₂ nanoparticles, the TiO₂ nanoparticles incorporated with CuInS₂ clusters display higher photocatalytic activity with 99.9% of degradation ratio of 4-nitrophenol after 2 h irradiation. In order to investigate the effect of the CuInS₂ clusters on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles, diffuse reflectance UV–Vis spectra (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and photocurrent action spectra were measured. The results indicate that the enhanced photocatalytic activity is probably due to the interface between TiO₂ and CuInS₂ as a trap of the photogenerated electrons to decrease the recombination of electrons and holes.     

Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-ones Using Ce(SO4)2-SiO2 as a Heterogeneous and Recyclable Catalyst

A simple and efficient synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones or thiones is described, using silica-supported ceric sulfate [Ce(SO₄)₂-SiO₂] as a heterogeneous catalyst from an aldehyde, 1,3-dicarbonyl compound, and urea or thiourea at 110 °C under solvent-free conditions. Compared with the classical Biginelli reaction, this new method consistently has better yields, short reaction time, easy separation, and tolerance toward various functional groups.     

Quantum dots assisted photocatalysis for the chemiluminometric determination of chemical oxygen demand using a single interface flow system

A novel flow method for the determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) is proposed in this work. It relies on the combination of a fully automated single interface flow system, an on-line UV photocatalytic unit and quantum dot (QD) nanotechnology. The developed approach takes advantage of CdTe nanocrystals capacity to generate strong oxidizing species upon irradiation with UV light, which fostered a fast catalytic degradation of the organic compounds. Luminol was used as a chemiluminescence (CL) probe for indirect COD assessment, since it is easily oxidized by the QD generated species yielding a strong CL emission that is quenched in the presence of the organic matter. The proposed methodology allowed the determination of COD concentrations between 1 and 35 mg L⁻¹, with good precision (R.S.D. < 1.1%, n = 3) and a sampling frequency of about 33 h⁻¹. The procedure was applied to the determination of COD in wastewater certified reference materials and the obtained results showed an excellent agreement with the certified values.     

Interaction Between Two Similar Plane Parallel Double Layers for (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2 or (NH4)2Cu(SO4)2 Type Complex Salt Electrolytes at Positive Surface Potential

Interaction energies between two similar plane parallel double layers for (NH₄)₂Fe(SO₄)₂ or (NH₄)₂Cu(SO₄)₂ type complex salt electrolytes at positive surface potential were expanded in a power series and accurate numeral results were given for 0.1 ≤ y _e  < y ₀ ≤ 20. The general expressions were given for the interaction energies of A _ν +B _ν′ +C_ν? type complex salt electrolytes at y > 0. The interaction energies for simple salts NaCl, CaCl₂, Na₂SO₄, FeCl₃, Na₃PO₄, Mg₃(PO₄)₂, Al₂(SO₄)₃, and complex salts (NH₄)₂Fe(SO₄)₂ or (NH₄)₂Cu(SO₄)₂ at y ₀ = 1 were compared. There was hardly difference between these simple salts and this complex salt for the interaction energies. The interaction energy for complex salt (NH₄)₂Fe(SO₄)₂ was close to that for simple salt Na₃PO₄.

Supplemental files are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology to view the free supplemental file.     

不同氮源溶剂热合成N-TiO2纳米颗粒及其光催化降解气相苯（英文）

采用三种不同的氮源溶剂热合成了锐钛矿-板钛矿混晶的N-TiO2催化剂.采用X射线衍射、N2吸附-脱附、X射线光电子能谱和透射电子显微镜等手段对催化剂进行了表征.重点研究了不同氮源对催化剂的相组成、晶粒尺寸、微观结构以及比表面积的影响.采用紫外光降解气相苯测试了合成材料的催化活性.结果表明,以水合肼为氮源合成的N-TiO2表现出最优的光催化活性,其活性明显高于P25,且能够循环使用15次以上.采用气相色谱-质谱技术分析了光降解过程的中间产物,基于此提出了相应的降解机理.     

Optimization of the determination of chemical oxygen demand in wastewaters

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is one of the most relevant chemical parameters for the management of wastewater treatment facilities including the control of the quality of an effluent. The adequacy of decisions based on COD values relies on the quality of the measurements. Cost effective management of the minor sources of uncertainty can be applied to the analytical procedure without affecting measurement quality. This work presents a detailed assessment of the determination of COD values in wastewaters, according to ISO6060:1989 standard, which can support reduction of both measurement uncertainty and cost of analysis. This assessment includes the definition of the measurement traceability chain and the validation of the measurement procedure supported on sound and objective criteria. Detailed models of the measurement performance, including uncertainty, developed from the Differential Approach, were successfully validated by proficiency tests. The assumption of the measurement function linearity of the uncertainty propagation law was tested through the comparison with the numerical Kragten method. The gathered information supported the definition of strategies for measurement uncertainty or cost reduction. The developed models are available as electronic supplementary material, in an MS-Excel file, to be updated with the user's data.     

氧缺陷型SnO2纳米颗粒可见光催化性能的研究

由简单的水热法合成了一种可高效降解有机染料的氧缺陷型Sn O2纳米颗粒新型光催化剂,用X射线衍射、透射电镜、高分辨透射电镜和紫外-可见分光光度计等手段对其结构及性能进行了表征。结果表明,所制备的催化剂的禁带宽度最小可达2.90e V,可实现对可见光的有效吸收利用,对甲基橙的降解反应具有很高的光催化活性。将该催化剂(1g/L)分散在10mg/L的甲基橙溶液中,可见光照射下,40min内甲基橙的降解率达99%以上。由于该催化剂具有合成方法简单、高效、成本低和反应条件温和等特点,为有效解决有机染料对环境的污染问题提供了一条新的途径。     

Enthalpies of crystallization of equilibrium solid phases occurring in the system K2SO4-(NH4)2SO4-H2O at 298.15 K

The concentration dependences of the differential enthalpies of solution were measured along several crystallization paths in the above-mentioned system, and the enthalpies of crystallization of mixed crystals occurring as a stable solid phase in the system were calculated on this basis. The obtained results confirmed the existence of a region of breaking continuity in the equilibrium solid phases.

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Zusammenfassung Für die obengennanten Systeme wurden, mehrere Kristallisationsradien entlang, die Messungen der Konzentrationsabhängigkeiten durchgeführt, die es unter differentiellen Lösungsenthalpien gibt. Auf dieses Grundlage wurden die Kristallisationenthalpien von Mischkristallen, die als stabile feste Phase vorkommen, bestimmt.Die erreichten Ergebnisse bestätigen die Tatsache, daß ein unterbrochenes Gebiet in den gleichgewichten festen Phasen vorkommt.

     

ESR study on the visible photocatalytic mechanism of nitrogen-doped novel TiO2: Synergistic effect of two kinds of oxygen vacancies

The visible photocatalytic mechanism of nitrogen-doped novel TiO₂ was studied by means of electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). It was found that, under visible light irradiation, the concentration of single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy (SETOV, V_o^•) of novel TiO₂ remained unchanged, but that of nitrogen-doped novel TiO₂ increased and returned to original state when the light was turned off. This implies that, aside from V_o^• in bulk of nitrogen-doped novel TiO₂, oxygen vacancy without trapped electron (V_o^••) was formed on its surface. V_o^•• as a surface electron trap captured photogenerated electron from the bulk to generate extra V_o^•, carrying out photocatalytic reaction on the surface. At the same time, nitrogen doping product NO was chemically adsorbed on the vicinity of V_o^•• and inhibited the attack of oxygen, allowing V_o^•• to remain stable in air. The synergistic action of the two kinds of active structures, i.e., bulk V_o^•–NO–Ti and surface V_o^••–NO–Ti, accounted for the visible photocatalytic activity of N-doped novel TiO₂.     

Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Porphyrin Tin(IV) Sensitized TiO2 Nanoparticles for the Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol and Methyl Orange

A stable metalloporphyrin sensitized TiO₂ (Degussa P25) photocatalyst was prepared by using trans-dihydroxo[5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin]tin(IV) (SnP) as a sensitizer in a simple impregnation process. The solid diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrum of the SnP sensitized TiO₂ photocatalyst (SnP-TiO₂) indicated that there existed interaction between SnP and TiO₂. It was found that SnP-TiO₂ exhibited an enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity as compared with that over P25 for the degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solutions. The mechanism exploration showed that the degradation of MO and 4-NP experienced two different ways, that is, MO was photodegraded by reactive oxygen species and 4-NP was directly photodegraded by the excited state of SnP. Furthermore, it was found that the loading content of SnP had an important influence on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂. The maximum photocatalytic efficiency was achieved when the contents of SnP were 25 mg and 30 mg per gram TiO₂ for MO and 4-NP, respectively. Importantly, SnP-TiO₂ was particularly stable and the photocatalytic activity was hardly decreased after being recycled seven times in the presence of oxygen, which could be attributed to the easy reductive regeneration of SnP.     

Preparation of ethyl levulinate from wheat stalk over Zr(SO4)2/SiO2

A series of Zr(SO₄)₂/SiO₂ solid acid catalysts with different Zr(SO₄)₂ loadings were prepared by water-soluble-impregnation method at room temperature. Then, the prepared catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum, X-ray diffraction, adsorption/desorption of N₂, and temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃. The results showed that the active component Zr(SO₄)₂ was successfully adhered to the mesoporous SiO₂, and the acid amount of Zr(SO₄)₂/SiO₂ increased with the increasing of the Zr(SO₄)₂ loadings. Finally, the wheat stalk was used as raw material and depolymerized over Zr(SO₄)₂/SiO₂ to produce ethyl levulinate (EL). The reaction mixture was separated and purified by filtration and vacuum distillation. The kinetic characteristics and the reaction pathway were also studied. A comparative study showed that 20 wt.% Zr(SO₄)₂/SiO₂ exhibited higher catalytic activity. When reaction temperature, time, catalyst dosage and Zr(SO₄)₂ loadings were 190 °C, 50 min, 20 wt.% and 30 wt.%, the EL yield reached a maximum of 17.14%. The relative content of EL exceeded 90% after three steps of distillation.     

Synthesis,structural characterization and catalytic potential of oxidovanadium(IV) and dioxidovanadium(V) complexes with thiazole-derived NNN-donor ligand

Reaction between the tridentate NNN donor ligand, (E)-2-(2-(1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethylidene)hydrazinyl)benzo[d]thiazole (HL), and V₂O₅ in ethanol gave a new vanadium(V) complex, [VO₂L] (1), while the similar reaction by using [V^IVO(acac)₂] as the metal source gave two different types of crystals related to compounds [VO₂L] (1) and [V^IVO(acac)L] (2). The molecular structures of the complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic characterization was carried out by means of FT-IR, UV–vis and NMR experiments as well as elemental analysis. The oxidovanadium(IV) and dioxidovanadium(V) species were used as catalyst precursors for olefin oxidation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as an oxidant. Under similar experimental conditions, the presence of 1 resulted in higher oxidation conversion than 2.