BiOCl/TiO/diatomite composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B.

A BiOCl/TiO/diatomite (BTD) composite was synthesized via a modified sol-gel method and precipitation/calcination method for application as a photocatalyst and shows promise for degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater upon visible-light irradiation. In the composite, diatomite was used as a carrier to support a layer of titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles and bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) nanosheets. The results show that TiO nanoparticles and BiOCl nanosheets uniformly cover the surface of diatomite and bring TiO and BiOCl into close proximity.

Synthesis of a MnO/FeO/diatomite nanocomposite as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for methylene blue degradation.

Heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts with the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), which offer the advantages of fast reaction rate, wide functional pH range and cost efficiency, have attracted great interest in wastewater treatment. In this study, a novel magnetic MnO/FeO/diatomite nanocomposite is synthesized and then used as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst to degrade the organic pollutant methylene blue (MB) with the activation of PMS. The characterization results show that the FeO nanoparticles and nanoflower-like MnO are evenly distributed layer-by-layer on the surface of diatomite, which can be readily magnetically separated from the solution.

Fabrication of novel sandwich nanocomposite as an efficient and regenerable adsorbent for methylene blue and Pb (II) ion removal.

An adsorbent, which is easy to be separated and reused after adsorption, is very important for the removal of pollutants in aqueous solution. Hence, a novel nanofibrous sandwich structured adsorbent of silica nanofiber/magnetite nanoparticles/porous silica (SNF/MNP/PS) was designed and synthesized for the first time. The magnetite nanoparticles with diameter less than 10 nm were evenly distributed on the surface of silica nanofiber, which was subsequently fully covered by a layer of porous silica.