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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/37418| Title: | High-performance photocatalytic degradation of model contaminants with iron oxide–based colloidal solutions under broad-spectrum illumination |
| Authors: | Ambrogi, Emma K. Asenath-Smith, Emily Brame, Jonathon A. |
| Keywords: | Persistent pollutants Photocatalysis--Evaluation Transition metal oxides Water--Pollution Water--Purification--Photocatalysis |
| Publisher: | Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.) Environmental Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical Report (Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)) ; no. ERDC TR-20-14 |
| Abstract: | Small molecule contaminants, such as compounds from pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, persist through traditional wastewater treatment processes. Heterogeneous photocatalysis with tran-sition metal oxides (TMOs) is an emerging technology for removing these recalcitrant contaminants from wastewater. To leverage this technology, we selectively combined three different TMOs with bandgap energies in different regions of the solar spectrum as a means of harvesting multiple wavelengths of incident radiation to increase the degradation rate of model and real contaminants. Specifically, we combined zincite (ZnO, ul-traviolet active), hematite (α-Fe2O3, visible active), and tenorite (CuO, near-infrared active). The combination of tenorite and hematite (2:1 mass ratio) was the most effective, degrading methyl orange with a rate constant of 40±1E-03 min−1. When applied to multicontaminant solutions using laboratory illumination, our multispectral photocatalyst degrades real-world contaminants, methyl orange, carbamazepine, and nitrobenzene, with rate constants of 30±1E-03, 24±1E-03, and 6±1E-03 min−1, respectively. In addition, the material degrades contaminants with a greater efficiency under outdoor solar illumination, with Collector Area per Order values of 4.0, 6.1 and 14.5 kWh/order/m³, for methyl orange, carbamazepine, and nitrobenzene, respectively. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach to purify water for strategic applications. |
| Description: | Technical Report |
| Gov't Doc #: | ERDC TR-20-14 |
| Rights: | Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited |
| URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/11681/37418 http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/37418 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERDC TR-20-14.pdf | 1.61 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |