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Sustainability
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Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production
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Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Water Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 October 2022) | Viewed by 9215

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marin Kovačić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 19, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment; photocatalytic water splitting and reduction of carbon dioxide; preparation and characterization of solar-active photocatalysts; in silico investigation of the interactions of micropollutants in aqueous media
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tayebeh Sharifi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Sciences, Jozef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: material science; thin films; photocatalysts; photoelectrochemical water splitting; bio hydrogen generation; water treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Boštjan Žener

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: photocatalysis; titanium dioxide; water treatment; thin-film systems; photocatalytic reactors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the face of increasing environmental pressures and accelerating climate changes, great efforts must be made to address these multi-faceted problems. Effective wastewater treatment for water reclamation and clean energy production are of paramount importance, as freshwater resources dwindle and low-carbon energy sources are urgently needed to combat the rising greenhouse gas emissions of today’s power-hungry society. Photocatalysis may play a pivotal role in sustainable wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy production by water splitting or photoreforming, bringing humanity closer to the goals of a toxic-free environment and the ideal of circular economy. Historically, photocatalysis for hydrogen production and water treatment were considered as almost separate research areas; only recently has their synergistic potential been identified. Furthermore, the photoreforming of waste and photocatalytic conversion of CO2 may contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy.

This Special Issue in Sustainability titled Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production aims to report the latest achievements in the development of photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic materials for the simultaneous degradation of organic pollutants in water and clean energy production, notwithstanding advances focused in water splitting, photoreforming, photocatalytic CO2 conversion into fuels/feedstocks and the removal of contaminants of emerging concern. We invite authors to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting original research papers, as well as review papers of recent and relevant advances in the field of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment and clean energy production. The main acceptance criteria are the originality, scientific rigor, novelty and scientific importance of the submitted manuscripts. The purpose of the valuable contributions to this Special Issue on Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production is to broaden the state-of-the-art in the exciting research area of photocatalysis.

Prof. Dr. Marin Kovačić
Dr. Tayebeh Sharifi
Dr. Boštjan Žener
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental remediation
  • carbon capture
  • nanocomposite photocatalysts
  • solar active photocatalysts
  • solar energy conversion
  • photocatalytic CO2 conversion
  • photoreforming
  • water splitting
  • photoelectrocatalysis
  • photocatalytic water treatment
  • waste photoreforming

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4118 KiB  
Article
Mn2+ Doped Cobalt Oxide and Its Composite with Carbon Nanotubes for Adsorption-Assisted Photocatalytic Applications
by Muhammad Fida, Shahid Iqbal, Mazloom Shah, Tanzeela Fazal, Bushra Ismail, Hafiz ur Rehman, Foziah F. Al-Fawzan, Eslam B. Elkaeed, Rami Adel Pashameah, Eman Alzahrani and Abd-ElAziem Farouk
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16932; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416932 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1944
Abstract
In this study, cobalt oxide (Co3O4), Mn-doped Co3O4 (MDCO), and Mn-doped Co3O4-functionalized carbon nanotube (MDCO-CNTs) were synthesized via the co-precipitation method using cobalt nitrate and manganese nitrate as a cobalt and manganese [...] Read more.
In this study, cobalt oxide (Co3O4), Mn-doped Co3O4 (MDCO), and Mn-doped Co3O4-functionalized carbon nanotube (MDCO-CNTs) were synthesized via the co-precipitation method using cobalt nitrate and manganese nitrate as a cobalt and manganese precursor, respectively. Synthesized materials were assessed using different characterization techniques like scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-visible spectroscopy. Congo red in an aqueous solution was adopted as the model dye to estimate the adsorption-assisted photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized materials. The samples studied for adsorpsstion-assisted photocatalysis were found to be highly effective and among all the samples, the best removal performance (80%) was obtained by treating the MDCO-CNTs composite for 50 min at 50 °C. Mathematical modeling shows that all of the samples followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and data best fitted to a Langmuir isotherm, implying that the process involved in the removal of Congo red dye is chemisorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production)
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12 pages, 4407 KiB  
Article
Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting and H2 Generation Enhancement Using an Effective Surface Modification of W-Doped TiO2 Nanotubes (WT) with Co-Deposition of Transition Metal Ions
by Tecush Mohammadi, Somayeh Sharifi, Yousef Ghayeb, Tayebeh Sharifi and Mohamad Mohsen Momeni
Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13251; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013251 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2460
Abstract
W-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (WT) were fabricated by in situ electrochemical anodization of titanium substrate. The results of the influence of different photo-deposited transition ions (CrxFe1−x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) on the surface of WT on photoelectrochemical [...] Read more.
W-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (WT) were fabricated by in situ electrochemical anodization of titanium substrate. The results of the influence of different photo-deposited transition ions (CrxFe1−x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) on the surface of WT on photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting and H2 generation are presented. The crystallinities, structural, elemental, and absorption analysis were conducted by XRD, SEM, RAMAN, EDX, and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, which demonstrated anatase as the main crystalline phase of TiO2, and the existence of CrxFe1−x (nano)particles/film deposited on the surface of WT. The SEM images revealed that the deposition rate and morphology are highly related to the ratio of Cr and Fe ions. Under visible light illumination, the entire photoelectrodes showed a very good response to light with stable photocurrent density. PEC measurements revealed that the mixture of transition ions with a certain ratio of ions (Cr0.8Fe0.2–T) led to enhanced photocurrent density more than that of other modifiers due to decreasing charge recombination as well as improving the charge transfer. Moreover, PEC water splitting was conducted in an alkaline solution and the Cr0.8Fe0.2–T photoelectrode generated 0.85 mL cm−2 h−1 H2, which is over two times that of pristine WT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production)
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13 pages, 3796 KiB  
Article
Titania Thin Film Coated Glass for Simultaneous Ammonia Degradation and UV Light Blocking Layer in Photovoltaics
by Krunoslav Juraić, Mario Bohač, Jasper Rikkert Plaisier, Aden Hodzic, Pavo Dubček, Davor Gracin, Ivana Grčić, Jan Marčec, Tihana Čižmar and Andreja Gajović
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10970; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710970 - 2 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1679
Abstract
In this work, we have investigated the potential dual application of TiO2 thin films as a photocatalyst for ammonia degradation, and as a UV light blocking layer in c-Si photovoltaics. For this purpose, we deposited a series of TiO2 thin films [...] Read more.
In this work, we have investigated the potential dual application of TiO2 thin films as a photocatalyst for ammonia degradation, and as a UV light blocking layer in c-Si photovoltaics. For this purpose, we deposited a series of TiO2 thin films on a glass substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering and analysed the influence of the deposition parameters (O2/Ar working gas content and pressure) on the structural, optical and photocatalytic properties. All samples are nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 and have a uniform surface (RMS roughness < 5 nm) in a wide range of magnetron sputtering deposition parameters. They are transparent in the Vis/NIR spectral range and strongly absorb light in the UV range above the optical bandgap energy (3.3 eV), which makes them suitable for the use as UV blocking layers and photocatalysts. The photocatalytic properties were studied in a mini-photocatalytic wind tunnel reactor by examining ammonia degradation. A kinetic study was performed to estimate the reaction rate constants for all samples. The intrinsic reaction rate constant confirmed the crucial role of surface morphology in ammonia decomposition efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production)
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10 pages, 5274 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of Immobilized CuO Photocatalyst for Disinfection of Water
by Lev Matoh, Boštjan Žener and Boštjan Genorio
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10581; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710581 - 25 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2419
Abstract
A green method for depositing a CuO layer with good adhesion and a large surface area on a support of activated alumina (Al2O3) was evaluated. The relatively simple method consists of adsorption of a copper salt on the surface [...] Read more.
A green method for depositing a CuO layer with good adhesion and a large surface area on a support of activated alumina (Al2O3) was evaluated. The relatively simple method consists of adsorption of a copper salt on the surface of Al2O3, formation of Cu(OH)2, and subsequent decomposition of the hydroxide to CuO. The XRD confirmed that the deposited photocatalyst crystalized at low temperatures (80 °C). Furthermore, BET measurements show a surface area of about 90 m2/g. The large surface area is the result of the speed of the conversion and decomposition reactions. The photokilling properties of the prepared photocatalyst were evaluated using E. coli cells and the leaching of copper ions was determined using ICP-MS. The photocatalytic efficiency was also evaluated by the degradation of an organic azo dye. The prepared photocatalyst shows good activity in the purification and disinfection of treated water. The described method is economical, fast, and can be considered green, since the only byproducts are water and NaCl. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Photocatalytic Water Treatment and Energy Production)
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