Utilization of Zinc Oxide Nanopowder for Photocatalytic Removal of Pb Ions from Aqueous Wastewater.

Nanometer-sized zinc oxide powders were prepared with a "solution-combustion method (SCM)." This method used zinc oxide nanopowder as a semiconductor oxide catalyst to initiate light-induced redox reactivity in the presence of 150 ppm aqueous lead-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution (Pb-EDTA) for photocatalysis under UV illumination. Removal rates of lead ions in the aqueous Pb-EDTA solution using SCM ZnO powder were compared with those of two other titanium dioxide photocatalysts, P-25 TiO₂-powder (Degussa) and rutile TiO₂ powder, prepared via a homogeneous precipitation process at low temperature (HPPLT).