Solar-based photocatalytic ozonation employing novel S-scheme ZnO/Cu₂O/CuO/carbon xerogel photocatalyst: effect of pH, salinity, turbidity, and temperature on salicylic acid degradation

Autor(es)

de Moraes, Nicolas Perciani ; dos Santos, Rafaela Dias Moreira ; Gouvea, Maira Elizabeth Vicente ; de Siervo, Abner ; Rocha, Robson da Silva ; Reddy, Devulapalli Amaranatha ; Yu, Lianqing ; Lanza, Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos ; Rodrigues, Liana Alvares

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Environmental Science and Pollution Research; v. 30, n. 43, p. 20-pg., 2023-08-22.

Resumo

This paper proposes the study of a solar-based photocatalytic ozonation process for the degradation of salicylic acid (SA) using a novel S-scheme ZnO/Cu2O/CuO/carbon xerogel photocatalyst. The incorporation of CuO and Cu2O aims to enhance charge mobility through the formation of p-n heterojunctions with ZnO, whereas the carbon xerogel (XC) was selected due to its eco-friendly nature, capacity to stabilize S-scheme heterojunctions as a solid-state electron mediator, and ability to function as a reducing agent under high temperatures. The characterization of the composites demonstrates that the presence of the XC during the calcination step led to the reduction of a fraction of the CuO into Cu2O, forming a ternary semiconductor heterojunction system. In terms of photocatalysis, the XC/ZnO-CuxO 5% composite achieved the best efficiency for salicylic acid degradation, mainly due to the stabilization of the S-scheme charge transfer pathway between the ZnO/CuO/Cu2O semiconductors by the XC. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal during heterogeneous photocatalysis was 80% for the solar-based process and 68% for the visible light process, after 300 min. The solar-based photocatalytic ozonation process was highly successful regarding the degradation of SA, achieving a 75% increase in the apparent reaction rate constant when compared to heterogeneous photocatalysis. Furthermore, a 78% TOC removal was achieved after 150 min, which is half the time required by the heterogeneous photocatalysis to obtain the same result. Temperature, salinity, and turbidity had major effects on the efficiency of the photocatalytic ozonation process; the system's pH did not cause any major performance variation, which holds relevance for industrial applications. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/50945-4 - INCT 2014: Instituto Nacional de Tecnologias Alternativas para Detecção, Avaliação Toxicológica e Remoção de Micropoluentes e Radioativos
• Beneficiário: Maria Valnice Boldrin
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 17/10118-0 - Estudo e aplicação da tecnologia eletroquímica para a análise e a degradação de interferentes endócrinos: materiais, sensores, processos e divulgação científica
• Beneficiário: Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 22/04058-2 - Degradação fotoeletrocatalítica de poluentes (bisfenol-A, sulfamerazina e 2,4-D) utilizando H2O2 eletrogerado em matrizes carbonosas obtidas de fontes sustentáveis
• Beneficiário: Nicolas Perciani de Moraes
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 18/10492-1 - Desenvolvimento e avaliação de heterojunções semicondutor/ZnO/xerogel de carbono na fotodegradação de 4-clorofenol em reator de leito fluidizado e em reator em batelada
• Beneficiário: Liana Alvares Rodrigues
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 18/16360-0 - Desenvolvimento de compósitos ternários ZnO/Bi2O3/Xerogel de carbono como fotocatalisadores para a degradação de poluentes orgânicos persistentes
• Beneficiário: Nicolas Perciani de Moraes
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado