Photocatalysis of Pollutants’ degradation using TiO2 Coated Glass

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been proved as an innovative and promising alternative route for the treatment of wastewater containing recalcitrant organic compounds such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, surfactants, colouring matters and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Some of these compounds pose severe problems in biological treatment systems due to their resistance to biodegradation, and often exert toxic effects on microbial processes [1]. Among AOPs technologies, heterogeneous photocatalysis with semiconductors was the most popular and effective widely employed method for water purification and wastewater treatment [2]. This study examines the photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) towards removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from water. Model compounds including a widely used analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, along with mepanipyrim, which is a common fungicide frequently used in the agricultural activities have been selected as case study. Two experiments were carried out using TiO2 as (i) dispersed powder; (ii) TiO2 immobilized on the surface of a commercial coated glass. The scanning electron analysis for the TiO2 coated active glass was also accomplished (Fig.1). A cooled solar simulator furnished with a xenon lamp 1,500 W total power, 500 W/m2 irradiance, in the wavelength range 290-800 nm was used for sample irradiation at 25°C constant temperature. Kinetics of each photoreaction was determined, and the identification of the photoproducts was performed using liquid chromatography coupled with Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (LC-FTICR MS). The overall results suggest that active thin layer of TiO2 immobilized on glass surface can avoid the recovery problems related to the use of TiO2 powder in heterogeneous photo-catalysis and may be a promising tool towards protecting the environment from emerging contaminants such as ibuprofen and mepanipyrim [3].