TiO2 and N-TiO2 Sepiolite and Zeolite Composites for Photocatalytic Removal of Ofloxacin from Polluted Water

TiO2 sepiolite and zeolite composites, as well the corresponding N-doped composites, synthesized through a sol–gel method, were tested for the photocatalytic degradation of a widespread fluoroquinolone antibiotic (ofloxacin) under environmental conditions. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray d...

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Published inMaterials Vol. 13; no. 3; p. 537
Main Authors Sturini, Michela, Maraschi, Federica, Cantalupi, Alice, Pretali, Luca, Nicolis, Stefania, Dondi, Daniele, Profumo, Antonella, Caratto, Valentina, Sanguineti, Elisa, Ferretti, Maurizio, Albini, Angelo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 23.01.2020
MDPI
Subjects
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Catalysts
Composite materials
Doppler effect
Drinking water
fluoroquinolone
Nitrogen
Personal grooming
Pharmaceuticals
Photocatalysis
Photodegradation
Photolysis
Pollutants
Red shift
Sepiolite
Sol-gel processes
Spectrum analysis
tio2-based composites
Titanium
Titanium dioxide
water remediation
zeolite
Zeolites
United States > US
Italy
Europe
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Summary:TiO2 sepiolite and zeolite composites, as well the corresponding N-doped composites, synthesized through a sol–gel method, were tested for the photocatalytic degradation of a widespread fluoroquinolone antibiotic (ofloxacin) under environmental conditions. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) analyses. A complete drug degradation occurred in 10–15 min in the presence of both TiO2 sepiolite and zeolite catalysts, and in 20–30 min with the N-doped ones. Sepiolite proved to be a better TiO2 support compared to the most common zeolite both in terms of adsorption capacity and photocatalytic efficiency in pollutants degradation. The influence of nitrogen doping (red shift from 3.2 to 3.0 eV) was also investigated. Although it was blurred by a marked increase of the particle dimension and thus a decrease of the specific surface area of the doped catalysts, it allowed a faster drug removal than direct photolysis. The photochemical paths and photoproducts were investigated, too.
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ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma13030537