Photocatalytical Technology in Europe: State-of-the-Art

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 5521

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo 2, 132, I-84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: photocatalysis for sustainable chemistry; photocatalytic and photo-Fenton processes for pollutants removal in wastewater; catalytic combustion of sewage sludge; decomposition and oxidative decomposition of H2S; hydrolysis of COS in the liquid phase
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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: catalysis; environmental depollution; characterization of materials; nanomaterials
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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Science and Technology and INSTM Unit of Torino - Politecnico, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: (photo)reforming; chemical synthesis; nanocomposites; thin films; surface properties; zeolites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many European research groups are working in the field of heterogeneous and homogeneous photocatalysis for different purposes, including but not limited to the synthesis of useful organic compounds, environmental remediation, and production of fuels (hydrogen, methane). Both review and original research papers on all aspects of heterogeneous and homogeneous photocatalysis with a particular emphasis on fundamental and applied research carried out in European countries are welcome in this Special Issue. Collaborative works between European and non-European partners are also welcome in this Special issue. Topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • Removal of pollutants from gaseous streams;
  • Water and wastewater treatment;
  • Bacteria and virus inactivation;
  • Homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalysis for organic synthesis;
  • Photocatalysts for H2 production and CO2 transformation;
  • New semiconductor materials for photocatalytic reactions.

Dr. Vincenzo Vaiano
Dr. Diana Sannino
Dr. Serena Esposito
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • photocatalytic pollution abatement
  • selective photocatalytic oxidation
  • homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalysts
  • visible and solar light active photocatalysts
  • carbon dioxide reduction
  • hydrogen production
  • fuels production

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 5117 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Systems Based on ZnO Produced by Supercritical Antisolvent for Ceftriaxone Degradation
by Stefania Mottola, Antonietta Mancuso, Olga Sacco, Vincenzo Vaiano and Iolanda De Marco
Catalysts 2023, 13(8), 1173; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13081173 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1576
Abstract
Emerging contaminants are a significant issue in the environment. Photocatalysis is proposed as a solution for the degradation of pollutants contained in wastewater. In this work, ZnO-based photocatalysts have been produced and tested for the photocatalytic degradation of an antibiotic; specifically, ceftriaxone has [...] Read more.
Emerging contaminants are a significant issue in the environment. Photocatalysis is proposed as a solution for the degradation of pollutants contained in wastewater. In this work, ZnO-based photocatalysts have been produced and tested for the photocatalytic degradation of an antibiotic; specifically, ceftriaxone has been used as a model contaminant. Moreover, there is particular interest in combining small-size ZnO particles and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), creating a hybrid photocatalyst. Zinc acetate (ZnAc) (subsequently calcinated into ZnO) and β-CD particles with a mean diameter of 0.086 and 0.38 µm, respectively, were obtained using the supercritical antisolvent process (SAS). The produced photocatalysts include combinations of commercial and micronized particles of ZnO and β-CD and commercial and micronized ZnO. All the samples were characterized through UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and the band gap values were calculated. Raman and FT-IR measurements confirmed the presence of ZnO and the existence of functional groups due to the β-cyclodextrin and ZnO combination in the hybrid photocatalysts. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction patterns proved that wurtzite is the main crystalline phase for all hybrid photocatalytic systems. In the photocatalytic degradation tests, it was observed that all the photocatalytic systems exhibited 100% removal efficiency within a few minutes. However, the commercial ZnO/micronized β-CD hybrid system is the photocatalyst that shows the best performance; in fact, when using this hybrid system, ceftriaxone was entirely degraded in 1 min. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytical Technology in Europe: State-of-the-Art)
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13 pages, 2845 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Removal of Water Emerging Pollutants in an Optimized Packed Bed Photoreactor Using Solar Light
by M. E. Borges, H. de Paz Carmona, M. Gutiérrez and P. Esparza
Catalysts 2023, 13(6), 1023; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13061023 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3346
Abstract
Photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process that is an environmentally friendly option and one of the most critical technologies in green chemistry today. This work studied the upscaling of photocatalysis as a suitable process for wastewater treatment to remove emerging pollutants. For this [...] Read more.
Photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process that is an environmentally friendly option and one of the most critical technologies in green chemistry today. This work studied the upscaling of photocatalysis as a suitable process for wastewater treatment to remove emerging pollutants. For this purpose, unsupported and supported TiO2 photocatalysts were tested in the photodegradation of ciprofloxacin as a model molecule of an emerging wastewater component, using visible, UV radiation, and solar light. The suitability of TiO2 as a photocatalyst to decompose ciprofloxacin was confirmed in batch photoreactor under Visible and UV radiation, with degradation rates up to 90% after 30 min of irradiation and low adsorption values. TiO2 as a photocatalyst coated in glass support material at the packed bed photoreactor showed good photoactivity for emergent contaminants degradation (95%) under solar radiation. It has been possible to verify that the photocatalytic reactor system constitutes a viable process for eliminating emerging contaminants through environmentally sustainable treatments. Our results corroborate the possibility of degrading emerging contaminants by solar radiation using a packed bed photoreactor, providing a more effective option from a practical and economical point of view for wastewater effluent treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytical Technology in Europe: State-of-the-Art)
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