Photocatalysis: Light energy conversion for the oxidation,disinfection, and decomposition of water

The results of many-year studies of the relationship between the physical properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ and Pt/TiO₂ in photocatalytic purification and disinfection of air and water and water photodecomposition with oxygen evolution are presented. Recommendations are given as to finding the optimal method for platinum supporting on TiO₂ to achieve the highest possible catalytic activity. Multisite kinetic models of the gas-phase oxidation of simple organic substances are considered. Methods for regenerating the photocatalyst after its deactivation in the oxidation of sulfur-containing organic substances are suggested. New data are discussed on the acceleration of air purification by the combination of photocatalytic oxidation with atmospheric electric discharges, the addition of gaseous hydrogen peroxide, and oxidation on photocatalysts existing in the aerosol state. As compared to pure TiO₂, platinated titanium dioxide has a higher capability for disinfection and complete mineralization of microorganisms. Two promising methods for production of hydrogen from water using solar light are presented.     

Photocatalytic disinfection of bacterial pollutants using suspended and immobilized TiO2 powders

The photocatalytic disinfection of Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter coli using microwave (MW), convection hydrothermal (HT) and Degussa P25 titania was investigated in suspension and immobilized reactors. In suspension reactors, MW‐treated TiO₂ was the most efficient catalyst (per unit weight of catalyst) for the disinfection of E. cloacae. However, HT‐treated TiO₂ was approximately 10 times more efficient than MW or P25 titania for the disinfection of E. coli suspensions in surface water using the immobilized reactor. In immobilized experiments, using surface water a significant amount of photolysis was observed using the MW‐ and HT‐treated films; however, disinfection on P25 films was primarily attributed to photocatalysis. Competitive action of inorganic ions and humic substances for hydroxyl radicals during photocatalytic experiments, as well as humic substances physically screening the cells from UV and hydroxyl radical attack resulted in low rates of disinfection. A decrease in colony size (from 1.5 to 0.3 mm) was noted during photocatalytic experiments. The smaller than average colonies were thought to occur during sublethal ^?OH and O₂^?? attack. Catalyst fouling was observed following experiments in surface water and the ability to regenerate the surface was demonstrated using photocatalytic degradation of oxalic acid as a model test system.     

Potential Hydrothermal-Humification of Vegetable Wastes by Steam Explosion and Structural Characteristics of Humified Fractions

In this work, steam explosion (SE) was exploited as a potential hydrothermal-humification process of vegetable wastes to deconstruct their structure and accelerate their decomposition to prepare humified substances. Results indicated that the SE process led to the removal of hemicellulose, re-condensation of lignin, degradation of the cellulosic amorphous region, and the enhancement of thermal stability of broccoli wastes, which provided transformable substrates and a thermal-acidic reaction environment for humification. After SE treatment, total humic substances (HS), humic acids (HA_s), and fulvic acids (FA_s) contents of broccoli samples accounted for up to 198.3 g/kg, 42.3 g/kg, and 166.6 g/kg, and their purification were also facilitated. With the increment of SE severity, structural characteristics of HA_s presented the loss of aliphatic compounds, carbohydrates, and carboxylic acids and the enrichment of aromatic structures and N-containing groups. Lignin substructures were proved to be the predominant aromatic structures and gluconoxylans were the main carbohydrates associated with lignin in HA_s, both of their signals were enhanced by SE. Above results suggested that SE could promote the decomposition of easily biodegradable matters and further polycondensation, aromatization, and nitrogen-fixation reactions during humification, which were conducive to the formation of HA_s.     

Development of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> photocatalysts suitable for practical use and their applications in environmental cleanup

Recently, environmental disruption is proceeding on a global scale through the consumption of huge amounts of fossil fuels and the emission of various chemical substances. However, these substances resist bio-treatment. TiO₂ generates electrons and holes by irradiation with light. Most organic micro-pollutants, including dioxins, are decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by the effect of the holes with high oxidative potential. By using such a photocatalytic reaction, various applications are feasible for environmental cleanup. In general, TiO₂ powder has been utilized as photocatalyst, although TiO₂ powder photocatalyst has several disadvantages: (1) it is difficult to handle, (2) photocatalytic reaction is slow and it takes a lot of time for treatment and (3) it is difficult to apply to plastics and textiles, because the photocatalyst decomposes them. We have developed a photocatalyst suitable for practical use and have developed high-activity photocatalysts such as TiO₂ photocatalytic transparent film, photocatalytic silica-gel, apatite-coated TiO₂ photocatalyst usable for plastics and textiles, photocatalytic paper, photocatalytic blue charcoal and photocatalytic oxygen scavenger. The application of these high-activity photocatalysts has been studied in deodorization, anti-bacterial, self-cleaning, anti-stain, water treatment, air purification such as photocatalytic decomposition of dioxins and VOC, and NO _x removal. Now various photocatalytic articles using these new photocatalyst materials are on the market in Japan. Photocatalytic technology can create many valuable products for environmental use all over the world.     

Humic substances in surface waters of the Ukraine

The results of studies of humic substances in water bodies of different types (lakes, rivers, and reservoirs) are given. It is shown that concentration of these natural organic compounds varies in a wide range of values (from 1.2 to 126.5 mg L^?1) due to different sources of their formation. The highest concentrations of humic substances are characteristic for rivers of the Pripyat’ River basin flowing through the wetland. As we move from the north to the south, the content of humic substances is reduced. So, in the Kakhovka Reservoir, closing the Dnieper cascade of reservoirs, the concentration of humic substances is almost thrice as low as in the Kiev Reservoir, which is at the head of the cascade. Seasonal changes of humic substances concentration and the reasons for these changes are discussed. The prevailing fraction in the composition of humic substances is represented by fulvic acids, the content of which reaches 80.8–94.8% of the total. The results of studies of the molecular weight distribution of humic substances and the reasons for changes in the ratio of their individual fractions, depending on the detection method (spectrophotometric and fluorescence methods), are considered. The values of the number average (M _n) and weight average (M _w) molecular weight of humic substances and the degree of polydispersity are calculated. It is shown that M _w varies seasonally. In spring and summer it is lower, but significantly increased in autumn. The reason for this phenomenon is degradation of high-molecular fractions of humic substances under the influence of UV light of solar radiation and increased microbiological activity during the summer season. As a result of these processes high-molecular fractions of humic substances are transformed into fractions with lower molecular weight, which become predominant.     

Adsorbability and photocatalytic degradability of humic substances in water on Ti-modified silica

From the viewpoint of development of a removal agent for humic substances, we prepared Ti-modified silica gel, SiO2-Ti, from titanium alkoxide and microsized silica gel. The prepared silica agent was investigated in adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of humic substances in water. In these experiments, four humic substances, commercially available Wako humic acid (Wako-HA), Nordic aquatic humic acid (Nordic-HA), Nordic aquatic fulvic acid (Nordic-FA), and Suwannee river fulvic acid (Suwannee-FA), were used, and Freundlich constants (KF and 1/n) and photodegradation rates were evaluated. Wako-HA, which has the highest aromaticity ratio [Ar-OH]/[COOH] and molecular weight, had the highest adsorbability (KF=17.5 (mg/g)(L/mg)(1/n), 1/n=0.67) but the lowest photodegradability (<80%). On the other hand, Suwannee-FA, which has the lowest aromaticity, [Ar-OH]/[COOH] ratio, and molecular weight, afforded lesser adsorbability (KF=7.1 (mg/g)(L/mg)(1/n), 1/n=0.39) but the highest photodegradability (>99%). Nordic-HA and Nordic-FA afforded adsorbabilities similar to that for Suwannee-FA, and medium photodegradabilities between those for Wako-HA and Suwannee-FA. Adsorption and photodegradation capacities of SiO2-Ti were improved with increased Ti content and phosphorescence emission amount, respectively. From XRD analysis, we found that the structure of anatase-type TiO2 features the Ti modifiers of SiO2-Ti. Therefore, humic substance molecules effectively interact with the Ti modifiers and are decomposed by OH radicals generated in situ. We hope that SiO2-Ti will be used as a photodegradation catalyst in water purification plants.     

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography method for measuring the composition of aquatic humic substances

A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) method was developed to measure the composition of humic substances from river, reservoir, and treated wastewater based on their physicochemical properties. The current method fractionates the humic substances into four well-defined groups based on parallel analyses with a neutral and a cationic HILIC column, using mobile phases of varied compositions and pH. The results indicate that: (i) the proportion of carboxylic acids in the humic substances from terrestrial origins is less than half of that from treated wastewater (Jeddah, KSA), (ii) a higher content of basic compounds was observed in the humic substances from treated wastewater and Ribou Reservoir (Cholet, France) than in the sample from Loire River (France), (iii) a higher percentage of hydrophobic macromolecules were found in the humic substances from Loire River than in the other samples, and (iv) humic substances of treated wastewater contained less ionic neutral compounds (i.e., pK_a 5–9) than the waters from terrestrial origins. The physicochemical property disparity amongst the compounds in each humic substances sample was also evaluated. The humic substances from the lightly humic Loire river displayed the highest disparity, whereas the highly humic Suwannee river (Georgia, USA) showed the most homogeneous humic substances.     

Fractionation analysis of trace metals in humic substances of soils irrigated with wastewater in Central Mexico by particle induced X-ray emission

The Mezquital Valley in Central Mexico has received wastewater from Mexico City for nearly 100 years. Wastewater brings in organic matter and nutrients but also trace metals. Humic substances, the main components of organic soil matter, are responsible for retaining and regulating the mobility of trace metals in soils. In this study, humic substances were extracted from the soil and separated into distinct fractions (humic acids, fulvic acids and humins). The particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was applied to determine the metal content in bulk soil as well as in humic acids and fulvic acids not soluble in H₃PO₄. In order to assess whether the long-term input of organic matter and metals modifies the metal association with these humic substances, parcels irrigated for three time periods (5, 47 and 89 years) were selected for this study. It was observed that metals such as Zn and Cu are mainly associated with the humic acids. Fulvic acids retain mainly Cr while Pb is distributed among humic and fulvic acids. It was also observed that in general, metal retention by humic substances increases with irrigation time. Depth also affects metal association with the humic substances.     

The roles of hydroxyl radicals, photo-generated holes and oxygen in the photocatalytic degradation of humic acid

This article is aimed at studying on the roles of the hydroxyl radicals, photo-generated holes, and oxygen in the photocatalytic degradation of humic acid (HA) in acid and alkaline conditions. The results indicate that hydroxyl radicals?? scavenger alone can inhibit the photocatalytic degradation process completely in alkaline condition, which implies that photo-generated holes cannot directly degrade the organic matter in alkaline condition. Moreover, the reaction sites between hydroxyl radicals and HA is on the TiO₂ surface in acid condition. But in alkaline condition, hydroxyl radicals diffuse and react with HA in the solution. The generation of hydroxyl radicals almost stops and the photocatalytic degradation is inhibited seriously without oxygen, which illustrates that oxygen plays an important role in the photocatalytic degradation of HA.     

A solid-phase extraction procedure for the clean-up of thiram from aqueous solutions containing high concentrations of humic substances

A simple solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure with an octadecyl bonded phase silica (C₁₈) was developed for clean-up of the fungicide thiram from aqueous solutions containing high concentrations of humic substances, for future studies of thiram adsorption onto solid humic substances or soils. Suspensions of humic acids and soil, in aqueous 0.01 M CaCl₂ solution, were prepared and used as samples. These extracts were spiked with thiram and immediately applied to a C₁₈-SPE cartridge. Thiram was eluted with chloroform and its concentration measured by spectrophotometry at 283 nm. Non-spiked aqueous extracts (blanks) and a control sample of thiram in 0.01 M CaCl₂ aqueous solution were also prepared and submitted to the same SPE procedure. The results show that humic substances are extensively retained by the C₁₈ cartridge but are not eluted with CHCl₃. Recoveries of 100-104% were obtained for thiram in the presence of humic substances. The SPE procedure described in this work is an efficient clean-up step to remove the interference of humic substances absorbance and to be coupled to any spectrophotometric or HPLC-UV method, usually used for thiram analysis in food extracts.     

Tefluthrin Sorption to Mineral Particles: Role of Particle Organic Coatings

Abstract

The sorption of tefluthrin was studied on “pure” clay minerals and those that had been coated with aquatic humic substances over a mass percent carbon range of 0.02 to 2.15. Tefluthrin sorption onto humic-coated minerals was significantly greater than on to the clean minerals and increased with increasing quantities of sorbed humic substances. Humic acid, the most aromatic coating, was the strongest sorbent, followed by fulvic acid, hydrophilic macromolecular acid and natural coatings on estuarine suspended particles. This shows the significant impact of humic coatings on the sorptive capacity of mineral particles. The sorption was linear, also consistent with the operation of a partition process. The partition coefficient normalised to organic carbon (K_oc) after deduction of the contribution from the clean mineral, ranged from 120000 to 770000 and was highest for the most aromatic humic acid fraction.     

Association of Am with humic substances isolated from river waters with different water quality

The association properties of Am with aquatic humic substances in a 0.01M NaClO₄ solution at pH 6-8 were studied on the basis of molecular size distribution. Ten humic substances isolated from river water with different water quality (pH 3.9-8.0 and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of 2-40 mg/l) were used for comparing their effects on the association of Am. The molecular size distribution of Am in the presence of humic substances from an uncolored river water (DOC 2 mg/l) was different from that at the experimental systems using humic substances from brownish and high DOC (14-40 mg/l) river waters.     

Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles and Nanoclusters Ag<Subscript>n</Subscript> in Humic-Based Bioactive Nanocomposites

Silver-containing nanocomposites synthesized from the compounds of a humic series have been studied using modern physical–chemical methods (EPR, TEM, IR and XRD, etc.). It is shown that the humic substances with different functional groups and isolated from different sources have also different ability of stabilizing the silver nanoparticles. Long-term stable nanoparticles and silver clusters have been found. A multiplet, observed in the EPR spectra of silver-containing nanocomposites, which are obtained from humic substances isolated from therapeutic muds and shales, is assigned to the formed Ag_n nanoclusters. Formation of the silver molecular clusters depends on the kind of humic substances and depth of their decomposition.     

Preparation and properties of titania–apatite hybrid films

TiO₂–hydroxyapatite (HAp) hybrid films were prepared by laminating TiO₂ films with holes on the HAp film. We prepared transparent porous HAp film through spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD) method. The HAp possessed affinity against proteins. TiO₂ films were prepared using phase separation of alkoxide. The holes provided from this process serve as an adsorption field and photocatalytic reaction field for reactants. This work demonstrated that the TiO₂–HAp hybrid films produced by this process are candidates for photocatalytic decomposition of germs, viruses, and other biohazardous substances in the environment.     

Molecular size distribution of Pu in the presence of humic substances in river and groundwaters

The association properties of Pu with aquatic humic substances in a 0.01M NaClO₄ solution at pH 6–8 were studied on the basis of molecular size distribution. Seven humic substances were isolated from river water and groundwaters using XAD extraction technique. They were used for comparing their effects on the association of Pu. In the presence of humic acid, the dominant molecular size of Pu was 100–30 kDa. In the presence of fulvic acid, Pu exhibited three dominant molecular sizes: 30–10 kDa, 30–5 kDa, and less than 5 kDa. The association of Pu-humus complexes might be controlled by the molecular size distribution of humic substances and characteristics of their respective size fractions.     

Highly efficient photocatalytic NO removal and in situ DRIFTS investigation on SrSn（OH）6

A novel SrSn（OH）₆ photocatalyst with large plate and particle size were synthesized via a facile chemical precipitation method.The photocatalytic activity of the SrSn（OH）₆ was evaluated by the removal of NO at ppb level under UV light irradiation.Based on the ESR measurements,SrSn（OH）₆ photocatalyst was found to have the ability to generate the main active species of O₂^·-,^·OH and ¹ O₂ during the photocatalyti...     

Interference of Humic Substances in the Spectrophotometric Determination of Bromate by Phenothiazines in Natural Waters

Abstract

The spectrophotometric method of bromate (BrO₃ ^?) determination by phenothiazines was applied to natural water samples and the interferences due to the presence of inorganic and humic substances were investigated. Common ions present in natural waters did not interfere and only the less abundant NO₂ ^? and Fe²⁺ exhibited strong interferences. Interferences of the two latter ions, if they existed, could be controlled and the method proved to be accurate and with a low detection limit. However, it was found that the presence of soluble humic substances resulted in positive interference, rendering the method unsuitable for bromate determination in natural waters and restricted its use in pure bromate solutions. This interference can be attributed to the electron acceptor groups invariably existing in the humic molecules. Since humic substances can remain in the water even after its ozonation, they will also contribute to a positive interference in bromate determination in potable waters.     

The inner filter effects and their correction in fluorescence spectra of salt marsh humic matter

The inner filter effects in synchronous fluorescence spectra (Δλ = 60 nm) of sedimentary humic substances from a salt marsh were studied. Accordingly to their type and the influence of plant colonization, these humic substances have different spectral features and the inner filter effects act in a different manner. The fluorescence spectra of the humic substances from sediments with colonizing plants have a protein like band (λ_exc = 280 nm) which is strongly affected by primary and secondary inner filter effects. These effects were also observed for the bands situated at longer wavelengths, i.e., at λ_exc = 350 nm and λ_ex = 454 nm for the fulvic acids (FA) and humic acids (HA), respectively. However, they are more important for the band at 280 nm, causing spectral distortions which can be clearly seen when the spectra of solutions 40 mg L⁻¹ of different samples (Dissolved Organic Carbon – DOC ∼ 20 mg L⁻¹) are compared with and without correction of the inner filter effects. The importance of the spectral distortions caused by inner filter effects has been demonstrated in solutions containing a mixture of model compounds which represent the fluorophores detected in the spectra of sedimentary humic samples. The effectiveness of the mathematical correction of the inner filter effects in the spectra of those solutions and of solutions of sedimentary humic substances was studied. It was observed that inner filter effects in the sedimentary humic substances spectra can be mathematically corrected, allowing to obtain a linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and humic substances concentration and preventing distortions at concentrations as high as 50 mg L⁻¹ which otherwise would obscure the protein like band.     

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue over N-doped MnWO4 under visible light irradiation

In recent years, the transition-metal tungstate materials with formula MWO₄ have attracted much attention in photocatalytic environmental purification due to their interesting structural and optical properties. Among the others, manganese tungstate (MnWO₄) has attracted particular attention because of its appropriate bandgap energy (2.67 ​eV) with tunable optical and electrical properties, chemical stability, and low cost which makes a suitable photocatalyst. Nevertheless, the manganese tungstate (MnWO₄) based materials are less explored as visible light responsive photocatalysts for wastewater purification. Hence, both parent and N-doped MnWO₄ are synthesized by a hydrothermal method with different nitrogen contents (5, 10, and 15 ​mol%). The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM-SAED, FT-IR, UV–Vis DRS, XPS and PL techniques. The photocatalytic activities of the synthesized samples were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under the visible light irradiation. All the N-doped MnWO₄ samples exhibited enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity compared to the parent MnWO₄, and the optimal dopant amount of nitrogen was 15 mol% for the best photocatalytic activity. The active species generated during the process of MB degradation are investigated by scavenging experiments. Further, the reusability of the 15 ​mol% N-doped MnWO₄ photocatalyst was examined in three consecutive catalytic runs.     

Role of humic substances in the formation of nanosized particles of iron corrosion products

The corrosion of metallic iron in aqueous solutions of humic substances (HS) with limited access to air is studied. The HS are found to exhibit multiple functions. Acid–base, redox, and surfactant properties, along with the ability to form complexes with iron in solution, are displayed in the corrosion process. Partial reduction of the HS during the corrosion reaction and their adsorption onto the main corrosion product (Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles) are observed.