Investigation of MO Adsorption Kinetics and Photocatalytic Degradation Utilizing Hollow Fibers of Cu-CuO/TiO2 Nanocomposite

George V Theodorakopoulos; Sergios K Papageorgiou; Fotios K Katsaros; George Em Romanos; Margarita Beazi-Katsioti

doi:10.3390/ma17184663

Investigation of MO Adsorption Kinetics and Photocatalytic Degradation Utilizing Hollow Fibers of Cu-CuO/TiO₂ Nanocomposite

Materials (Basel). 2024 Sep 23;17(18):4663. doi: 10.3390/ma17184663.

Authors

George V Theodorakopoulos^{1

2}, Sergios K Papageorgiou¹, Fotios K Katsaros¹, George Em Romanos¹, Margarita Beazi-Katsioti²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 15341 Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.
² School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Street, Zografou, 15772 Athens, Greece.

Abstract

This comprehensive study explores the kinetics of adsorption and its photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) using an advanced copper-decorated photocatalyst in the form of hollow fibers (HFs). Designed to boost both adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity, the photocatalyst was tested in batch experiments to efficiently remove MO from aqueous solutions. Various isotherm models, including Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich, along with kinetic models like pseudo-first and pseudo-second order, Elovich, Bangham, and Weber-Morris, were utilized to assess adsorption capacity and kinetics at varying initial concentrations. The results indicated a favorable MO physisorption on the nanocomposite photocatalyst under specific conditions. Further analysis of photocatalytic degradation under UV exposure revealed that the material maintained high degradation efficiency and stability across different MO concentrations. Through the facilitation of reactive oxygen species generation, oxygen played a crucial role in enhancing photocatalytic performance, while the degradation process following the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The study also confirmed the robustness and sustained activity of the nanocomposite photocatalyst, which could be regenerated and reused over five successive cycles, maintaining 92% of their initial performance at concentrations up to 15 mg/L. Overall, this effective nanocomposite photocatalyst structured in the form of HF shows great promise for effectively removing organic pollutants through combined adsorption and photocatalysis, offering valuable potential in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.

Keywords: MO degradation; adsorption; batch reactor; copper and copper oxide nanoparticles; hollow fibers; kinetics study; photocatalytic nanocomposites; regeneration; reusability; titania.

Grants and funding

This work was partially financed by the project “Development of Materials and Devices for Industrial, Health, Environmental and Cultural Applications” (MIS 5002567), which is implemented under the “Action for the Strategic Development on the Research and Technological Sector”, funded by the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014-2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund), the project “National Infrastructure in Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials and Micro-/Nanoelectronics” INNOVATION-EL (MIS 5002772), which is implemented under the Action “Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure”, and the NCSR Demokritos internal project No. EE11968, entitled “Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured materials for environmental applications”.