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Molecules
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Green Photocatalysis for Degradation of Organic Contaminants
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Green Photocatalysis for Degradation of Organic Contaminants

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 4649

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chun Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: photocatalytic degradation; PMS activation; advanced oxidation; H2 production
Dr. Pilar Sandín-España

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria, Plant Protection Products Unit, Madrid, Spain
Interests: pesticides; by-products; degradation; phytotoxicity; herbicide; degradation products; transformation products; quantitative structure–activity relationship; photodegradation; chlorination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the whole world has been facing the problems of environmental pollution and shortage of drinking water due to the incomplete treatment of industrial wastewater and the massive discharge of domestic sewage. It is well known that some refractory organic pollutants or emerging pollutants remaining in water are difficult to degrade using conventional treatment techniques. To solve this problem, the application of photocatalysis in wastewater treatment has attracted extensive attention, providing a feasible and effective option for attenuation due to its ability to degrade and even mineralize various organic pollutants. It is worth mentioning that the design and preparation of new photocatalysts and the exploration of the catalytic reaction mechanism will play a key role in promoting the practical application of photocatalytic degradation technology.

We welcome contributions to this particular issue, "Green Photocatalysis for Degradation of Organic Contaminants", in the form of original research papers, reviews, or communications, focusing on the design of efficient photocatalysts, the application of photocatalysts in wastewater treatment, and the corresponding mechanistic studies.

Dr. Chun Liu
Dr. Pilar Sandín-España
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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • advanced photocatalyst design
  • photocatalytic
  • environmental governance

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4247 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of Er-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles: An Investigation on the Methylene Blue, Eosin, and Ibuprofen Removal by Photodegradation
by Marília C. R. Silva, Samuel Castro-Lopes, Aimée G. Jerônimo, Ricardo Barbosa, Alexsandro Lins, Pollyana Trigueiro, Bartolomeu C. Viana, Francisca P. Araujo, Josy A. Osajima and Ramón R. Peña-Garcia
Molecules 2024, 29(2), 391; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules29020391 - 12 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 957
Abstract
We present a study on the green synthesis of undoped and Er-doped ZnO compounds using Mangifera indica gum (MI). A set of tests were conducted to assess the structure of the material. The tests included X-ray diffraction, Raman, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Optical [...] Read more.
We present a study on the green synthesis of undoped and Er-doped ZnO compounds using Mangifera indica gum (MI). A set of tests were conducted to assess the structure of the material. The tests included X-ray diffraction, Raman, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Optical properties were studied using diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence. Morphological and textural investigations were done using SEM images and N2 adsorption/desorption. Furthermore, photocatalytic tests were performed with methylene blue (MB), yellow eosin (EY), and the pharmaceutical drug ibuprofen (IBU) under UV irradiation. The study demonstrated that replacing the stabilizing agent with Mangifera indica gum is an effective method for obtaining ZnO nanoparticles. Additionally, the energy gap of the nanoparticles exhibits a slight reduction in value. Photoluminescence studies showed the presence of zinc vacancies and other defects in both samples. In the photocatalytic test, the sample containing Er3+ exhibited a degradation of 99.7% for methylene blue, 81.2% for yellow eosin, and 52.3% for ibuprofen over 120 min. In the presence of methyl alcohol, the degradation of MB and EY dyes is 16.7% and 55.7%, respectively. This suggests that hydroxyl radicals are responsible for the direct degradation of both dyes. In addition, after the second reuse, the degradation rate for MB was 94.08%, and for EY, it was 82.35%. For the third reuse, the degradation rate for MB was 97.15%, and for EY, it was 17%. These results indicate the significant potential of the new semiconductor in environmental remediation applications from an ecological synthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Photocatalysis for Degradation of Organic Contaminants)
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20 pages, 5957 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Activity of the Blends Based on TiO2 Nanoparticles and Reduced Graphene Oxide for Degradation of Acetaminophen
by Monica Daescu, Madalina Chivu, Elena Matei, Catalin Negrila, Oana Cramariuc and Mihaela Baibarac
Molecules 2023, 28(11), 4546; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules28114546 - 04 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
The aim of this work is to highlight the influence of blends based on TiO2 nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on the photodegradation of acetaminophen (AC). To this end, the catalysts of TiO2/RGO blends with RGO sheet concentrations equal [...] Read more.
The aim of this work is to highlight the influence of blends based on TiO2 nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on the photodegradation of acetaminophen (AC). To this end, the catalysts of TiO2/RGO blends with RGO sheet concentrations equal 5, 10, and 20 wt. % were prepared by the solid-state interaction of the two constituents. The preferential adsorption of TiO2 particles onto the RGO sheets’ surfaces via the water molecules on the TiO2 particle surface was demonstrated by FTIR spectroscopy. This adsorption process induced an increase in the disordered state of the RGO sheets in the presence of the TiO2 particles, as highlighted by Raman scattering and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The novelty of this work lies in the demonstration that TiO2/RGO mixtures, obtained by the solid-phase interaction of the two constituents, allow an acetaminophen removal of up to 95.18% after 100 min of UV irradiation. This TiO2/RGO catalyst induced a higher photodegradation efficiency of AC than TiO2 due to the presence of RGO sheets, which acted as a capture agent for the photogenerated electrons of TiO2, hindering the electron–hole recombination. The reaction kinetics of AC aqueous solutions containing TiO2/RGO blends followed a complex first-order kinetic model. Another novelty of this work is the demonstration of the ability of PVC membranes modified with Au nanoparticles to act both as filters for the removal of TiO2/RGO blends after AC photodegradation and as potential SERS supports, which illustrate the vibrational properties of the reused catalyst. The reuse of the TiO2/RGO blends after the first cycle of AC photodegradation indicated their suitable stability during the five cycles of pharmaceutical compound photodegradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Photocatalysis for Degradation of Organic Contaminants)
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16 pages, 10872 KiB  
Article
Biomimetic Guided Bi2WO6/Bi2O3 Vertical Heterojunction with Controllable Microstructure for Efficient Photocatalysis
by Yuanbo Sun, Ziang Jia, Ning Wan and Wei Feng
Molecules 2023, 28(7), 3123; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules28073123 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1455
Abstract
To bridge the technical gap of heterojunction induction control in conventional semiconductor photocatalysts, a method of regulating the growth of heterojunctions utilizing biomimetic structures was designed to prepare a series of Bi2WO6/Bi2O3 vertical heterojunction nanocomposites for [...] Read more.
To bridge the technical gap of heterojunction induction control in conventional semiconductor photocatalysts, a method of regulating the growth of heterojunctions utilizing biomimetic structures was designed to prepare a series of Bi2WO6/Bi2O3 vertical heterojunction nanocomposites for the disposal of environmentally hazardous tetracycline wastewater difficult to degrade by conventional microbial techniques. Porous Bi2O3 precursors with high-energy crystalline (110) dominant growth were produced using the sunflower straw bio-template technique (SSBT). Bi2WO6 with a (131) plane grew preferentially into 2.8 to 4 nm pieces on the (110) plane of Bi2O3, causing a significant density reduction between Bi2WO6 pieces and a dimensional decrease in the agglomerated Bi2WO6 spheres from 3 μm to 700 nm since Bi2WO6 grew on the structure of the biomimetic Bi2O3. The optimal 1:8 Bi2WO6/Bi2O3 coupling catalyst was obtained via adapting the ratio of the two semiconductors, and the coupling ratio of 1:8 minimized the adverse effects of the overgrowth of Bi2WO6 on degradation performance by securing the quantity of vertical heterojunctions. The material degradation reaction energy barrier and bandgap were significantly reduced by the presence of a large number of vertical heterojunction structures, resulting in a material with lower impedance and higher electron–hole separation efficiency; thus, the degradation efficiency of 1:8 Bi2WO6/Bi2O3 for tetracycline hydrochloride reached 99% within 60 min. In conclusion, this study not only successfully synthesized a novel photocatalyst with potential applications in water pollution remediation but also introduced a pioneering approach for semiconductor-driven synthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Photocatalysis for Degradation of Organic Contaminants)
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