Visible-Light-Driven Degradation of Chloramphenicol Using CeO Nanoparticles Prepared by a Supercritical CO Route: A Proof of Concept.

Recently, the extensive use of antibiotics has unavoidably resulted in the discharge of significant quantities of these drugs into the environment, causing contamination and fostering antibiotic resistance. Among various approaches employed to tackle this problem, heterogeneous photocatalysis has emerged as a technique for antibiotic degradation. This study explores the potential of CeO as a photocatalyst for the degradation of chloramphenicol.

Unraveling the Role of CuO in CuO/TiO Photocatalyst for the Direct Propylene Epoxidation With O in a Fluidized Bed Reactor.

Propylene epoxidation in mild conditions using molecular O is a highly desirable reaction that represents a significant challenge in the field of heterogeneous catalysis for the synthesis of oxygenated organic compounds of industrial interest. In this work, CuO/TiO composites with different mominal CuO loadings (in the range of 0.5-8.

Solar Light Elimination of Bacteria, Yeast and Organic Pollutants by Effective Photocatalysts Based on Ag/Cr-TiO and Pd/Cr-TiO.

This study focused on searching for more effective nanomaterials for environmental remediation and health protection; thus, coliform bacteria, yeast and the organic food dye sunset yellow were selected as target pollutants to be eliminated under solar light by Ag/Cr-TiO and Pd/Cr-TiO. Firstly, Cr was in situ incorporated into the anatase crystalline lattice by the sol-gel method; then, Ag or Pd nanoparticles were deposited on Cr-TiO by chemical photoreduction. The scientific challenge addressed by the development of these composites was to analyse the recovery of Cr, to be employed in photocatalyst formulation and the enhancement of the TiO photocatalytic activity by addition of other noble metals.

Effects of In-Air Post Deposition Annealing Process on the Oxygen Vacancy Content in Sputtered GDC Thin Films Probed via Operando XAS and Raman Spectroscopy.

We investigate the ionic mobility in room-temperature RF-sputtered gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) thin films grown on industrial solid oxide fuel cell substrates as a function of the air-annealing at 800 and 1000 °C. The combination of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy allows us to study the different Ce/ Ce ratios induced by the post growth annealing procedure, together with the Ce valence changes induced by different gas atmosphere exposure. Our results give evidence of different kinetics as a function of the annealing temperature, with the sample annealed at 800 °C showing marked changes of the Ce oxidation state when exposed to both reducing and oxidizing gas atmospheres at moderate temperature (300 °C), while the Ce valence is weakly affected for the 1000 °C annealed sample.

Assessment of ecological risks posed by veterinary antibiotics in European aquatic environments: A comprehensive review and analysis.

The extensive use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has led to the emergence of antibiotic contaminants in the environment, posing significant risks to ecosystems and public health. This contamination arises from the persistence of antibiotics in aquatic environments, particularly in aquifer systems, where they contribute to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Despite increasing research, the understanding of the ecological and human health implications of these contaminants remains incomplete.

Risk assessment of natural and synthetic fibers in aquatic environment: A critical review.

Marine microplastics, categorized as primary and secondary, including synthetic microfibers like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) and acrylic (PC), represent a potential environmental concern. The complex classification of these fibers, originating from diverse sources such as textiles and many others commercial goods, prompts a need for understanding their impact on aquatic organisms. This study assesses the ecological risks associated with both natural and synthetic fibers in aquatic ecosystems, focusing on toxicity data and their effects on taxonomic groups like Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Cnidaria, and Chordata.

UV light assisted degradation of acid orange azo dye by ZVI-ZnS and effluent toxicity effects.

Azo dyes, the most common synthetic dyes used in the textile industry, are known xenobiotic compounds and recalcitrant to conventional degradation treatments. As consequence, such contaminants are often discharged into the effluents, treating aquatic ecosystems. Among several processes, the use of zero valent iron (ZVI) represents a suitable alternative to degrade organic molecules containing azo bonds.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Ceftriaxone Using TiO Coupled with ZnO Micronized by Supercritical Antisolvent Route.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technique for removing pollutants from water. In this work, supercritical antisolvent (SAS)-micronized ZnO (ZnO) is coupled with commercial anatase TiO (PC50) to study the photocatalytic degradation of ceftriaxone under UV and visible light. Diffuse ultraviolet-visible reflectance (UV-vis DRS) measurement revealed that the presence of ZnO leads to a slight absorption in the visible region.

The beneficial role of nano-sized FeO entrapped in ultra-stable Y zeolite for the complete mineralization of phenol by heterogeneous photo-Fenton under solar light.

Highly efficient, separable, and stable magnetic iron-based-photocatalysts produced from ultra-stable Y (USY) zeolite were applied, for the first time, to the photo-Fenton removal of phenol under solar light. USY Zeolite with a Si/Al molar ratio of 385 was impregnated under vacuum with an aqueous solution of Fe ions and thermally treated (500-750 °C) in a reducing atmosphere. Three catalysts, Fe-USY500°C-2h, Fe-USY600°C-2h and Fe-USY750°C-2h, containing different amounts of reduced iron species entrapped in the zeolitic matrix, were obtained.

Ag/Cr-TiO and Pd/Cr-TiO for Organic Dyes Elimination and Treatment of Polluted River Water in Presence of Visible Light.

In this work, photocatalytic materials constituted by Cr-doped TiO (Cr-TiO) decorated with noble metals show high effectiveness in the mineralization of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) and in the disinfection of real river water. The materials were firstly obtained by sol-gel method to get Cr-TiO that was subsequently modified by photochemical deposition of Ag or Pd nanoparticles (Ag/Cr-TiO, Pd/Cr-TiO). Chemical-physical characterization results evidenced that the noble metals were homogeneously distributed on the Cr-TiO surface.

Selective Photocatalytic Reduction of Nitrobenzene to Aniline Using TiO Embedded in sPS Aerogel.

In recent years, aromatic substances have become the focus of environmental pollution-related concern due to their high stability and mutagenicity. In this regard, researchers have focused their attention on the development of photocatalytic processes to convert nitroaromatic compounds into aniline. In this work, the photocatalytic conversion of nitrobenzene (NB) to aniline (AN) was studied.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Crystal Violet Dye under Visible Light by Fe-Doped TiO Prepared by Reverse-Micelle Sol-Gel Method.

A reverse-micelle sol-gel method was chosen for the preparation of Fe-doped TiO samples that were employed in the photodegradation of the crystal violet dye under visible light irradiation in a batch reactor. The dopant amount was varied to assess the optimal photocatalyst composition towards the target dye degradation. The photocatalysts were characterized through a multi-technique approach, envisaging XRPD and QPA as obtained by Rietveld refinement, FE-SEM analysis, DR UV-vis spectroscopy, N adsorption/desorption isotherms measurement at -196 °C, ζ-potential measurement, and XPS analysis.

Supercritical Phase Inversion to Produce Photocatalytic Active PVDF-coHFP_TiO Composites for the Degradation of Sudan Blue II Dye.

TiO-loaded poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-coHFP) membranes were produced by supercritical CO-assisted phase inversion. Three different TiO loadings were tested: 10, 20, and 30 wt% with respect to the polymer. Increasing the TiO amount from 10 wt% to 20 wt% in the starting solution, the transition from leafy-like to leafy-cellular morphology was observed in the section of the membrane.

Visible light-driven degradation of Acid Orange 7 by light modulation techniques.

The impact of light modulation on the decolorization of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in aqueous solution was examined in this paper. A fixed bed batch photocatalytic reactor with a flat plate geometry, irradiated by 240 white-light LEDs, was used. A successful transfer of visible active photocatalyst (N-TiO) in powder form on a polystyrene (PS) transparent plate was realized.

Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Innovative Photocatalysts: A Review.

Waterborne pathogens represent one of the most widespread environmental concerns. Conventional disinfection methods, including chlorination and UV, pose several operational and environmental problems; namely, formation of potentially hazardous disinfection by-products (DBPs) and high energy consumption. Therefore, there is high demand for effective, low-cost disinfection treatments.

Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity and Kinetics of Fe-Doped TiO Prepared by a Three-Block Copolymer Templating Approach.

Fe-doped titania photocatalysts (with 1, 2.5, and 3.5 wt.

F-doped ZnO nano- and meso-crystals with enhanced photocatalytic activity in diclofenac degradation.

Diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is considered one of the most widespread emerging contaminants. Its incidence in water can favor the growth of drug-resistant bacteria and harm aquatic organisms endangering both the human health and the ecosystem. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on the action of reactive oxygen species are very effective technologies for the removal of this contaminant from water.

Changes in Antibiotic Resistance Gene Levels in Soil after Irrigation with Treated Wastewater: A Comparison between Heterogeneous Photocatalysis and Chlorination.

Wastewater (WW) reuse is expected to be increasingly indispensable in future water management to mitigate water scarcity. However, this increases the risk of antibiotic resistance (AR) dissemination via irrigation. Herein, a conventional (chlorination) and an advanced oxidation process (heterogeneous photocatalysis (HPC)) were used to disinfect urban WW to the same target of <10 CFU/100 mL and used to irrigate lettuce plants () set up in four groups, each receiving one of four water types, secondary WW (positive control), fresh water (negative control), chlorinated WW, and HPC WW.

Limitations and Prospects for Wastewater Treatment by UV and Visible-Light-Active Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: A Critical Review.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis (HPC) has been widely investigated in recent decades for the removal of a number of contaminants from aqueous matrices, but its application in real wastewater treatment at full scale is still scarce. Indeed, process and technological limitations have made HPC uncompetitive with respect to consolidated processes/technologies so far. In this manuscript, these issues are critically discussed and reviewed with the aim of providing the reader with a realistic picture of the prospective application of HPC in wastewater treatment.

Highly Robust and Selective System for Water Pollutants Removal: How to Transform a Traditional Photocatalyst into a Highly Robust and Selective System for Water Pollutants Removal.

Highly porous monolithic aerogels based on ZnO photocatalyst and syndiotactic polystyrene (s-PS) were obtained by supercritical CO treatment of ZnO/s-PS gels. The prepared aerogels were characterized and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated using phenol and toluene as water pollutant models. The s-PS nanoporous crystalline phase, able to absorb pollutant molecules, was proven to be necessary to ensure high photocatalytic efficiency as the aerogel acts not only as a support, but also as pollutant pre-concentrator.

Removal of carbamazepine, diclofenac and trimethoprim by solar driven advanced oxidation processes in a compound triangular collector based reactor: A comparison between homogeneous and heterogeneous processes.

Contaminants of emerging concern (including pharmaceuticals) are not effectively removed by municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), so particular concern is related to agricultural wastewater reuse due to their possible uptake in crops irrigated with WWTPs effluents. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and solar AOPs have been demonstrated to effectively remove pharmaceuticals from different aqueous matrices. In this study, an heterogeneous photocatalytic process using powdered nitrogen-doped TiO immobilized on polystyrene spheres (sunlight/N-TiO) was compared to the benchmark homogenous AOP sunlight/HO in a compound triangular collector reactor, to evaluate the degradation of three pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine (CBZ), diclofenac (DCF), trimethoprim (TMP)) in water.

Room Temperature Synthesis of V-Doped TiO₂ and Its Photocatalytic Activity in the Removal of Caffeine under UV Irradiation.

In this work, the influence of simple acids in the room temperature sol-gel synthesis of TiO₂ was investigated and the efficiency of prepared photocatalysts was evaluated in the removal of caffeine. To improve the photoactivity of TiO₂, vanadium-doped TiO₂ (VTiO₂) samples were obtained starting from different amount of vanadyl sulphate as a dopant source. The samples were centrifuged, washed and finally dried at room temperature, and no calcination step was carried out.