0000000000037812

AUTHOR

M. Addamo

Environmentally Friendly Photocatalytic Oxidation of Aromatic Alcohol to Aldehyde in Aqueous Suspension of Brookite TiO(2)

WOS: 000260509000008

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Photocatalytic oxidation of toluene on irradiated TiO2: comparison of degradation performance in humidified air, in water and in water containing a zwitterionic surfactant

Photocatalytic degradation of toluene was carried out both in gas–solid and in liquid–solid regime by using polycrystalline samples of TiO2 Merck and TiO2 Degussa P25. For the gas–solid regime two types of continuous photoreactor were used, a fixed bed one of cylindrical shape and a Carberry type photoreactor, both irradiated by near-UV light. The inlet reacting mixture consisted of air containing toluene and water vapours. The influence of the gas flow rate and the presence of water vapour on the photocatalytic process was investigated. CO2 and benzaldehyde were the toluene degradation products detected in the gas phase by using TiO2 Merck. In the presence of water vapour this catalyst exh…

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Preparation in mild conditions of photocatalytically active nanostructured TiO2 rutile

Abstract Nano structured TiO 2 rutile samples were prepared in mild conditions by hydrolysis of TiCl 4 in different solutions. The powders revealed a fair photoactivity for the photoeatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol. The influence of preparation procedure, pH and presence of Cl − and N 3 − anions on the physicochemical features and photocatalytic activity of the powders was investigated.

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Preparation of N-doped TiO2: characterization and photocatalytic performance under UV and visibile light

Nanocrystalline N-doped TiO(2) samples were prepared by using TiCl(4) or TiOSO(4) as precursors. The powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, BET specific surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was tested using the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol under UV and visible light.Some samples were more active than commercial Degussa P25. A shift of the absorption edge to a lower energy and a stronger absorption in the visible light region were observed in the samples obtained from TiCl(4). Two absorption edges were observed in the samples derived from T…

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Photodegradation of lincomycin in aqueous solution

Aqueous solutions of lincomycin were irradiated with UV light in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. Lincomycin disappeared in both systems but the presence ofTiO2noticeably accelerated the degradation of the antibiotic in comparison with direct photolysis. The rate of decomposition was dependent on the concentration of lincomycin and followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics. Photolysis involved only the oxidation of lincomycin without mineralization. Differently, the treatment withTiO2and UV light resulted in a complete mineralization of the antibiotic. The degradation pathways involved S- and N-demethylation and propyldealkylation. The mineralization of the molecule led to the formation …

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Selectivity of hydroxyl radical in the partial oxidation of aromatic compounds in heterogeneous photocatalysis

Abstract The photocatalytic oxidation of different benzene derivatives has been investigated in order to understand how the substituent group affects the selectivity to hydroxylated compounds. Experimental runs were performed by using TiO2 (Merck) aqueous suspensions at natural pH irradiated by near-UV light. The organic molecules used as substrate contained an electron withdrawing group (EWG) (nitrobenzene, cyanobenzene, benzoic acid, 1-phenylethanone), an electron donor one (EDG) (phenol, phenylamine, N-phenylacetamide) or both an EWG and an EDG (4-chlorophenol). The results clearly indicated that the primary photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic compounds containing an EDG gives rise main…

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Photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SiO2 systems

Silica-supported TiO(2) powders were synthesized by a wet method under mild conditions. The aim of the work was the preparation of TiO(2)/SiO(2) additives for photocatalytic cements. Three types of commercial SiO(2) were used as supports: Cabot, Axim and Fly Ash. Cabot silica was ultra-pure whereas the other two silica contained different percentages of various oxides. The TiO(2)/SiO(2) samples, denoted TiO(2)/Cabot, TiO(2)/Axim and TiO(2)/Fly Ash, were prepared by boiling suspensions obtained by addition of silica to a solution of TiCl(4) in water (volume ratio 1:10). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated in a gas-solid system both in batch and in continuous reactors using 2-propanol a…

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Photoactivity of Nanostructured TiO2 Catalysts in Aqueous System and their Surface Acid-Base, Bulk and Textural Properties

This work reports on the characterisation and determintion of the photocatalytic activity of some TiO2 catalysts prepared using TiCl4 as precursor. The samples, consisting of suspensions, dispersions or powders of nanonstructured anatase or rutile phases, were obtained in very mild conditions, i.e., by boiling the solution obtained after hydrolysis of TiCl4 at atmospheric pressure: it is worth noting that no calcination was necessary to obtain photoactive phases. The samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), determination of the BET specific surface area (SSA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). FT-IR spectroscopy was use…

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Photocatalytic behaviour of metal-loaded TiO2 aqueous dispersions and films

Abstract Titanium dioxide nanoparticles loaded with Ce, Co, Eu, Sm, W and Yb species were prepared by coprecipitation in mild conditions using TiCl 4 as precursor with the aim to enhance the photocatalytic activity, especially under visible light irradiation. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), specific surface area (SSA) determination and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the powders of pure and loaded TiO 2 was investigated by employing the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol as probe reaction in a liquid–solid system. Loading with suitable amounts of W, Co and Sm resulted in a significan…

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Preparation of Photocatalytic Nanostructured TiO<sub>2</sub> Thin Films

Photoactive films consisting of pure anatase, brookite or rutile were deposited on glass slides by a dip coating process from water dispersions or solutions obtained by using TiCl4 as the precursor. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the various samples was evaluated by using the photooxidation of 2-propanol in gas solid regime as probe reaction. Brookite and anatase films showed a good photoactivity degrading the substrate and the propanone produced during the reaction.

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Preparation and photoactivity of nanostructured TiO2 particles obtained by hydrolysis of TiCl4

This work reports the preparation of nanostructured polycrystalline TiO2 photocatalysts obtained by hydrolysis of TiCl4 in very mild conditions. Several samples were prepared as suspensions or colloidal dispersions by using TiCl4/H2O volume ratios ranging between 1:1 and 1:100. The samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction analysis, specific surface area determination, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. 4-Nitrophenol photodegradation was used as probe reaction to test the photoactivity of the catalysts. Some samples revealed a photoactivity higher than that of Degussa P25 in similar experimental conditions and the most photoactive one was that prepared …

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Photocatalytic thin films of TiO2 formed by a sol-gel process using titanium tetraisopropoxide as the precursor

Abstract Thin TiO 2 films were prepared with the dip-coating technique by using sols deriving from titanium tetraisopropoxide. TiO 2 films were formed on glass substrates previously covered by a SiO 2 layer obtained from a tetraethylortosilicate sol. The films, after a thermal treatment at 673 K, mainly consisted of TiO 2 anatase. The samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The photoactivity of the various films was tested by using as probe reaction the photo-oxidation of 2-propanol in gas-solid regime. The photoreactivity results indicated that the TiO 2 films were efficient for degrading 2-propanol und…

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Preparation and photoactivity of nanostructured anatase, rutile and brookite TiO2 thin films

Photoactive films consisting of pure anatase, brookite or rutile TiO2 were prepared by dip coating from water dispersions obtained by using TiCl4 as the precursor under similar mild experimental conditions

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Inorganic gels as precursors of TiO2 photocatalysts prepared by low temperature microwave or thermal treatment

Abstract A simple procedure for preparing active TiO2 photocatalysts is presented. The starting materials were unusual TiO2 gels formed from TiCl4. The use of microwaves for a very short time enhanced the TiO2 crystallinity preventing an increase of particle size and minimizing the decrease of specific surface area. This result makes this preparation very attractive. The formation of the gels was monitored through measurements of viscosity. All the samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and BET specific surface area measurements. The photoactivity of the samples was evaluated using the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol in liquid–solid regi…

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Preparation of photocatalytic brookite thin films

Pure brookite films were deposited from a brookite dispersion obtained by peptizing a mixture brookite–rutile prepared by thermolysis of TiCl4 in a HCl solution. The films were characterised by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The photoactivity of the samples was tested by using the photo-oxidation of 2-propanol in gas–solid regime as a probe reaction. The brookite films efficiently degraded 2-propanol under UV illumination.

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Chemistry of lanthanide–metal carbonyl systems: the ytterbium–chromium carbonyls interaction

Abstract The interaction of the chromium carbonyl hydrides HCr2(CO)10− or HCr(CO)5− with Yb(acac)3·3H2O has been investigated, and the experimental conditions leading to the isolation of ytterbium–chromium carbonyl complex species are reported. Formulation of the coordination compounds produced by such interactions has been proposed on the basis of analytical data and IR spectroscopy.

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Removal of drugs in aqueous systens by photoassisted degradation

Aqueous solutions of tetracycline, lincomycin and ranitidine were irradiated with UV light in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. Two commercial polycrystalline TiO2 powders (Degussa P25 and Merck) were used as photocatalysts. After 5A h, an appreciable photolytic degradation of tetracycline and ranitidine was observed while the degradation of lincomycin was noticeably lower. As far as the mineralization is concerned, a small decrease of the TOC values was measured in the case of tetracycline whereas negligible variations were found for lincomycin or ranitidine. The presence of the photocatalysts greatly enhanced the degradation rates of the drugs with respect to those observed during th…

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Oxidation of oxalate ion in aqueous suspensions of TiO2 by photocatalysis and ozonation

Abstract Oxalate anion has been oxidized in aqueous alkaline solution by using ozonation and photocatalysis in the presence of TiO 2 . A batch annular reactor has been used for carrying out reactivity runs in the presence of air/ozone, air/ozone/near UV irradiation, air/ozone/TiO 2 , air/near UV-irradiated TiO 2 and air/ozone/near UV-irradiated TiO 2 . The Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model adequately describes the photocatalytic results obtained at different reaction conditions and allows determining the values of the kinetic and equilibrium adsorption constants. The contemporary presence of photocatalysis and ozonation shows a significant improvement of the process performance as the oxid…

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Optical properties and quantum yield determination in photocatalytic suspensions

Knowledge of the optical properties of photocatalytic suspensions is vital for a correct comparison of their energetic efficiency. In this work, the determination of both absorption and scattering coefficients of aqueous suspensions of commercial TiO2 powders irradiated by monochromatic light was carried out by measuring only one quantity—the transmitted photon flow—as a function of the catalyst mass and by applying an asymptotic form of the Kubelka–Munk solution of the radiative transfer equation. Applying a nonlinear fitting procedure the evaluation of the actual values of absorption and scattering coefficients was carried out. The limit for optically thick media of the Kubelka–Munk equat…

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The role of water in the photocatalytic degradation of acetonitrile and toluene in gas-solid and liquid-solid regimes

Photocatalytic degradation of acetonitrile and toluene was carried out both in gas-solid and in liquid-solid regimes by using commercialTiO2samples (Merck and Degussa P25). The investigation was mainly aimed to study the influence of water present in the reaction environment on the mechanism and degradation rate of two probe molecules. In gas-solid regime, the reacting mixture consisted of toluene or acetonitrile, oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapour. The main degradation product of toluene wasCO2with small amounts of benzaldehyde. In the presence of water vapour, the activity ofTiO2Merck remained stable but greatly decreased if water was absent.TiO2Degussa P25 continuously deactivated, even …

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Photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline TiO2 (brookite, rutile and brookite-based) powders prepared by thermohydrolysis of TiCl4 in aqueous chloride solutions

Abstract Nanocrystalline TiO2 powders were synthesized by thermohydrolysis of TiCl4 in HCl or NaCl aqueous solutions. Rutile, mixtures of brookite and rutile or mixtures of anatase, brookite and rutile were obtained depending on the acidity of the medium. Crystalline phases and composition of the mixtures were identified by using XRD analysis. Pure brookite nanoparticles, separated from the mixtures of brookite and rutile by simple peptization with water, were stable against transformation to rutile up to 750 °C. The prepared TiO2 powders were characterized by thermal analysis, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and BET surface area determinations. The band gap of bulky brookite was estimated…

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Tungstophosphoric acid supported on polycrystalline TiO2 for the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol in aqueous solution and propan-2-ol in vapour phase

Abstract The present work reports the preparation of samples based on Millennium PC-500 TiO 2 loaded with different amounts of tungstophosphoric acid (up to 30% in weight) and their characterisation by means of different physicochemical techniques: powder X-ray diffraction, N 2 adsorption–desorption at −196 °C, transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis and FT-IR spectroscopies and thermogravimetric analyses. The acidity of samples was evaluated by FT-IR using pyridine as probe molecule, and the catalysts activity was tested for the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol in aqueous solution and for the photo-oxidation of propan-2-ol in vapour phase. The results show a noticeable improvement (8 and…

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Photocatalytic oxidation of acetonitrile in gas–solid and liquid–solid regimes

Il programma NON mi ha consentito di scaricare il PDF di questo articolo. Se lo volete ditemi come inviarlo ABSTRACT Photocatalytic degradation of acetonitrile was carried out in both gas–solid and liquid–solid regimes using two commercial TiO2 catalysts (Merck and Degussa P25). For the gas–solid regime, a continuous annular photoreactor was used. The influence on photodegradation kinetics of the gas flow rate and concentrations of acetonitrile, oxygen, and water was investigated. Acetonitrile degradation products detected in the gas phase included carbon dioxide and hydrogen cyanide. The same photoactivity was exhibited in the presence and in the absence of water vapour. The liquid–solid reg…

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