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Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification

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A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 36782

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hideyuki Katsumata

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry for Materials, Graduate School of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
Interests: advanced oxidation process; water purification; environmental nanotechnology; artificial photosynthesis; photocatalysts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Leire Ruiz-Rubio

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Guest Editor

Macromolecular Chemistry Group (LQM), Department of Physical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Interests: polymer science; 3D printing; hydrogels; biomaterials; composites; photopolymerization; polysaccharides; polymer blend; thermal degradation; sensors; smart agriculture
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Prof. Dr. Jose Luis Vilas Vilela

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Guest Editor

Department of Physics and Chemistry, Science and Technology Faculty, University of Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Interests: resins and composites; advance manufacturing; shape memory; active materials; material characterization; soil and water remediation

Dr. Huiyao Wang

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, 945 College Hernandez Hall, 3035 S Espina St., New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: photocatalysis; water treatment; nanomaterials; advanced materials; desalination; thin films; energy materials; fuel cells; material characterizations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many studies have been performed on the development of sustainable water treatment technologies for improving water quality. In some countries, unavailable drinking water is a serious problem because traditional drinking water treatment systems cannot remove aquatic pathogens, toxic metal ions, and industrial waste. In addition, the treatment of wastewater containing dye contaminants is a major concern around the world. A new class of treatment processes referred to as advanced oxidation processes has been developed, particularly heterogeneous photocatalysts that utilize photon energy and convert it into chemical energy, has been recognized as a strong candidate in this research area. The development of photocatalytic materials with high activity is required for advances in photocatalytic wastewater purification.

This Special Issue will focus on, but is not limited to, the following:

Highly efficient photocatalysts for water/wastewater purification;
Visible-light-driven photocatalytic process;
New photocatalytic mechanisms and kinetics;
Identification of intermediate products for photocatalytic purification process;
Pilot and full-scale applications.

Prof. Dr. Hideyuki Katsumata
Prof. Dr. Leire Ruiz-Rubio
Prof. Dr. Jose Luis Vilas Vilela
Prof. Dr. Huiyao Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

photocatalytic water/wastewater treatments
photocatalytic processes for disinfection treatments
synthesis, design, and characterization of photocatalysts
photocatalytic kinetics and mechanisms
visible-light-sensitive photocatalysts
up-scaling applications of photocatalytic process
real wastewater treatments

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 8454 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Hexavalent Chromium Removal via Photoreduction by Sunlight on Titanium–Dioxide Nanotubes Formed by Anodization with a Fluorinated Glycerol–Water Electrolyte

by Siti Azlina Rosli, Nurhaswani Alias, Nurulhuda Bashirom, Syahriza Ismail, Wai Kian Tan, Go Kawamura, Atsunori Matsuda and Zainovia Lockman

Catalysts 2021, 11(3), 376; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11030376 - 13 Mar 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2700

Abstract

In this paper, titanium–dioxide (TiO₂) nanotubes (TNTs) are formed by anodic oxidation with a fluorinated glycerol–water (85% and 15%, respectively) electrolyte to examine the effect of fluoride ion concentration, time, and applied voltage on TNT morphologies and dimensions. For fluoride ion concentration, the surface etching increases when the amount of ammonium fluoride added to the electrolyte solution increases, forming nanotube arrays with a clear pore structure. At a constant voltage of 20 V, TNTs with an average length of ~2 µm are obtained after anodization for 180 min. A prolonged anodization time only results in a marginal length increment. The TNT diameter is voltage dependent and increases from approximately 30 nm at 10 V to 310 nm at 60 V. At 80 V, the structure is destroyed. TNTs formed at 20 V for 180 min are annealed to induce the TiO₂ anatase phase in either air or nitrogen. When ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid is added as a hole scavenger, 100% hexavalent chromium removal is obtained after 120 min of sunlight exposure for nitrogen-annealed TNTs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification)

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14 pages, 4210 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modulation of the Bifunctional Cr^VI to Cr^III Photoreduction and Adsorption Capacity in Zr^IV and Ti^IV Benchmark Metal-Organic Frameworks

by Paula G. Saiz, Ainara Valverde, Bárbara Gonzalez-Navarrete, Maibelin Rosales, Yurieth Marcela Quintero, Arkaitz Fidalgo-Marijuan, Joseba Orive, Ander Reizabal, Edurne S. Larrea, María Isabel Arriortua, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez, Andreina García and Roberto Fernández de Luis

Catalysts 2021, 11(1), 51; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11010051 - 01 Jan 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3276

Abstract

The presence of hexavalent chromium water pollution is a growing global concern. Among the currently applied technologies to remove Cr^VI, its adsorption and photocatalytic reduction to Cr^III less mobile and toxic forms are the most appealing because of their simplicity, reusability, and low energy consumption. However, little attention has been paid to bifunctional catalysts, that is, materials that can reduce Cr^VI to Cr^III and retain both hexavalent and trivalent chromium species at the same time. In this work, the dual Cr^VI adsorption–reduction capacity of two iconic photoactive water-stable zirconium and titanium-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has been investigated: UiO-66-NH₂ and MIL-125. The bifunctionality of photoactive MOFs depends on different parameters, such as the particle size in MIL-125 or organic linker functionalization/defective positions in UiO-66 type sorbents. For instance, the presence of organic linker defects in UiO-66 has shown to be detrimental for the chromium photoreduction but beneficial for the retention of the Cr^III phototransformed species. Both compounds are able to retain from 90 to 98% of the initial chromium present at acidic solutions as well as immobilize the reduced Cr^III species, demonstrating the suitability of the materials for Cr^VI environmental remediation. In addition, it has been demonstrated that adsorption can be carried out also in a continuous flux mode through a diluted photoactive MOF/sand chromatographic column. The obtained results open the perspective to assess the bifunctional sorption and photoreduction ability of a plethora of MOF materials that have been applied for chromium capture and photoreduction purposes. In parallel, this work opens the perspective to develop specific chemical encoding strategies within MOFs to transfer this bifunctionality to other related water remediation applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification)

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17 pages, 6638 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocatalytic Degradation of Atenolol by TiO₂ Irradiated with an Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode: Performance, Kinetics, and Mechanism Insights

by Zhilin Ran, Liping Wang, Yuanhang Fang, Cong Ma and Shaofeng Li

Catalysts 2019, 9(11), 876; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9110876 - 23 Oct 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2614

Abstract

Batch experiments were performed to investigate the effect of several environmental factors on atenolol (ATL) degradation efficiency, including catalyst crystal phase (anatase TiO₂, rutile TiO₂, and mixed phase), catalyst dosage, UV-LED wavelength and intensity, co-existing anions, cations, and pH. The mixed phase (2 g/L) exhibited the best photocatalytic activity at 365 nm, with ATL (18.77 µM) completely oxidized within 1 h. These results suggest that: (i) The mixed phase exhibits the highest activity due to its large specific surface area and excellent charge separation efficiency. (ii) ATL can be effectively degraded using mixed phase TiO₂ combined with UV-LED technology and the ATL degradation efficiency could reach 100% for 60 min; (iii) ATL photodegradation was more effective under 365 nm UV-LED than 254 nm, which was caused by the effect of light-induced charge separation; (iv) the ATL Degradation efficiency(De) decreased with an increase in initial ATL concentrations; and (v) co-existing anions and cations had different effects on the ATL De, mainly by changing the concentration of hydroxyl radicals. Considering that UV-LED is more energy-saving and environmentally friendly, and commercial TiO₂ is cheap and easy to obtain, our research provides feasibility for practical application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification)

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Review

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19 pages, 4851 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Membranes for Photocatalytic Water Remediation

by Cristian Mendes-Felipe, Antonio Veloso-Fernández, José Luis Vilas-Vilela and Leire Ruiz-Rubio

Catalysts 2022, 12(2), 180; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal12020180 - 29 Jan 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3519

Abstract

Mismanagement, pollution and excessive use have depleted the world’s water resources, producing a shortage that in some territories is extreme. In this context, the need for potable water prompts the development of new and more efficient wastewater treatment systems to overcome shortages by recovering and reusing contaminated water. Among the water treatment methods, membrane technology is considered one of the most promising. Besides, photocatalytic degradation has become an attractive and efficient technology for water and wastewater treatment. However, the use of unsupported catalysts has as its main impediment their separation from the water once treated. With this, providing the membranes with this photocatalyzed degradation capacity can improve the application of photocatalysts, since in many cases their application improves their recovery and reuse. This review describes the general photocatalytic processes of the main inorganic nanoparticles used as fillers in hybrid polymeric membranes. In addition, the most recent hybrid organic–inorganic membranes are reviewed. Finally, the membranes formed by metal–organic frameworks that can be considered one of the newest and most versatile developments are described. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification)

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18 pages, 671 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceReview

Treatment of Produced Water with Photocatalysis: Recent Advances, Affecting Factors and Future Research Prospects

by Lu Lin, Wenbin Jiang, Lin Chen, Pei Xu and Huiyao Wang

Catalysts 2020, 10(8), 924; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10080924 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 87 | Viewed by 5926

Abstract

Produced water is the largest byproduct of oil and gas production. Due to the complexity of produced water, especially dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons and high salinity, efficient water treatment technologies are required prior to beneficial use of such waste streams. Photocatalysis has been demonstrated to be effective at degrading recalcitrant organic contaminants, however, there is limited understanding about its application to treating produced water that has a complex and highly variable water composition. Therefore, the determination of the appropriate photocatalysis technique and the operating parameters are critical to achieve the maximum removal of recalcitrant compounds at the lowest cost. The objective of this review is to examine the feasibility of photocatalysis-involved treatment for the removal of contaminants in produced water. Recent studies revealed that photocatalysis was effective at decomposing recalcitrant organic compounds but not for mineralization. The factors affecting decontamination and strategies to improve photocatalysis efficiency are discussed. Further, recent developments and future research prospects on photocatalysis-derived systems for produced water treatment are addressed. Photocatalysis is proposed to be combined with other treatment processes, such as biological treatments, to partially reduce total organic carbon, break down macromolecular organic compounds, increase biodegradability, and reduce the toxicity of produced water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification)

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33 pages, 2256 KiB

Open AccessReview

Impact of Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Modification on Its Application to Pollution Treatment—A Review

by Ruixiang Li, Tian Li and Qixing Zhou

Catalysts 2020, 10(7), 804; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10070804 - 20 Jul 2020

Cited by 141 | Viewed by 17630

Abstract

A high-efficiency method to deal with pollutants must be found because environmental problems are becoming more serious. Photocatalytic oxidation technology as the environmentally-friendly treatment method can completely oxidate organic pollutants into pollution-free small-molecule inorganic substances without causing secondary pollution. As a widely used photocatalyst, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) can greatly improve the degradation efficiency of pollutants, but several problems are noted in its practical application. TiO₂ modified by different materials has received extensive attention in the field of photocatalysis because of its excellent physical and chemical properties compared with pure TiO₂. In this review, we discuss the use of different materials for TiO₂ modification, highlighting recent developments in the synthesis and application of TiO₂ composites using different materials. Materials discussed in the article can be divided into nonmetallic and metallic. Mechanisms of how to improve catalytic performance of TiO₂ after modification are discussed, and the future development of modified TiO₂ is prospected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Wastewater Purification)

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