Development of photocatalytic paint based on TiO2 and photopolymer resin for the degradation of organic pollutants in water

Md T Islam; Arieana Dominguez; Reagan S Turley; Hoejin Kim; Kazi A Sultana; Mai Shuvo; Bonifacio Alvarado-Tenorio; Milka O Montes; Yirong Lin; Jorge Gardea-Torresdey; Juan C Noveron

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135406

Development of photocatalytic paint based on TiO₂ and photopolymer resin for the degradation of organic pollutants in water

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Feb 20:704:135406. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135406. Epub 2019 Nov 25.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Texas Permian Basin, 4901 E University Blvd, Odessa, TX 7976, USA; NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Rice University, MS 6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston, USA. Electronic address: islam_m@utpb.edu.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Rice University, MS 6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston, USA.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
⁵ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
⁶ Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Av. Plutarco Elías Calles # 1210, Fracc.Foviste Chamizal Ciudad Juárez, Chih. C.P 32310, Mexico.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, University of Texas Permian Basin, 4901 E University Blvd, Odessa, TX 7976, USA.
⁸ Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Rice University, MS 6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston, USA; Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Rice University, MS 6398, 6100 Main Street, Houston, USA. Electronic address: jcnoveron@utep.edu.

PMID: 31896226
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135406

Abstract

While the use of TiO2 nanoparticles in the form of slurry/suspension requires energy-intensive separation processes, its immobilization in solid support may open new opportunities in the area of sustainable water treatment technologies. In this study, a novel method for the development of photocatalytic paint based on TiO₂ nanoparticles and acrylate-based photopolymer resin is reported. The paint (TiO₂@polymer) was applied on substrates such as plastic petri dish and glass jar, which was polymerized/solidified by ultraviolet light irradiation. The painted petri dish and glass jar were used for the photocatalytic degradation of model organic pollutants viz. methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), and indole in deionized water, simulated fresh drinking water, and tap water matrices. The photocatalytic degradation studies were performed under sunlight and UV-B light were used for. The sunlight-assisted photocatalytic degradation of MO and MB was found to be faster and more efficient than the UV-B light-assisted ones. Under UV-B light irradiation, it took 120 min to degrade about 80% of 6 ppm MB solution, whereas under sunlight irradiation it took 60 min to degrade about 90% of the same MB solution. The photocatalytic paint generated hydroxyl radical (·OH) under the UV-B and sunlight irradiation, which was studied by the terephthalic acid fluorescence tests. Further, the potential release of TiO₂ during the exposure to UV irradiation was studied by single particle ICP-MS analysis.

Keywords: Photocatalysis; Photocatalytic paint; Photopolymer resin; TiO(2) immobilization; Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)); Water treatment.