Clean water is one
of the sustainable development goals set by
the United Nations for 2030. The development of effective but worldwide
affordable strategies is essential to guarantee this achievement.
Photocatalysis technology fulfills these criteria whenever the photocatalyst
is sustainable and nontoxic. In this article, a cellulose-paper modified
with a polyamide-titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) nanocomposite
by dip-coating is evaluated to degrade estrogens efficiently under
solar light. The study deepens on the synergic combination of the
sorptive capacity of the polyamide and the activity of TiO
2
. The photocatalytic performance was studied under artificial and
sunlight in a miniaturized experimental setup (batch of six reactors).
Also, the effects of the dispersed/immobilized catalyst, irradiation
time, and adsorption evaluation were studied under kinetic conditions.
The photocatalyst composition, considering the polyamide (nylon-6)
and TiO
2
amounts and the dipping cycles, was studied by
a response surface methodology, and the reusability of the photocatalytic
cellulose-paper was investigated. The LED source provided removal
efficiencies of 65, 62, and 52% (for estrone, 17β-estradiol,
and estriol, respectively) after 420 min of light exposure. Under
sunlight, the efficiency increased up to 99.5% for estrone and 17β-estradiol
and 98.5% for estriol after 180 min of irradiation. The sustainable
character of the cellulosic substrate, the low toxicity of the nanocomposite
ingredients, and its performance under sunlight make the material
attractive for in-field application.