Abstract
Environmental concern about emerging contaminants has increased, especially endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as 17α-ethynylestradiol. Conventional water treatment processes have limitations in their removal, while heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technique. This requires the application of an efficient photocatalyst that is activated under visible light for a more sustainable process. Transition metals incorporated into TiO2 have shown great potential in improving visible light absorption and reducing recombination speed. Thus, the objective of this study was to prepare and characterize TiO2-based photocatalysts incorporated with Ag, Cu, and Fe and evaluate their performance in the removal of the hormone 17α-ethynylestradiol under visible light. The photocatalysts were prepared using the wet impregnation method and characterized by adequate techniques. The photocatalysts were activated under visible light from an automotive xenon light, and batch tests were made under the experimental conditions: [EE2]0 = 10 mg L−1 and catalyst dosage = 0.5 g L−1. The photocatalysts showed optical improvements, such as reduced bandgap energy and reduced recombination velocity. And they were efficient in the photodegradation of the hormone compared to TiO2. The toxicity of the effluent containing 17α-ethynylestradiol was reduced after the heterogeneous photocatalysis process, as shown in bioassays with the bioindicators Artemia salina and Lactuca sativa.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Brazilian Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) (Process Number 88887.185200/2018-00) and the Araucaria Foundation (FA-PR) for the RENEWABLE HYDROCARBONET (NAPI-HCR) project for granting a scholarship.
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This work was supported by the Brazilian Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Studies (CAPES) (Process nº 88887.185200/2018–00) and Fundação Araucária (NAPI-HCR Project).
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RPN contributed to conceptualization, methodology, investigation, writing-original draft. PDM contributed to investigation, writing-original draft, review and editing. MHNO Scaliante contributed to supervision, writing-review and editing.
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Nippes, R.P., Macruz, P.D. & Scaliante, M.H.N.O. Enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light of TiO2 through incorporation with transition metals for degradation of 17α-ethynylestradiol. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 20, 7343–7352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04361-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04361-y