CeO₂ Nanoparticles Modified on Graphite Sheet Electrodes for Photoelectrochemical Tobacco Wastewater Detection, Degradation, and Toxicity Measurement

Abstract

Monitoring and implementation of gutka wastewater treatment using a fast and feasible fabrication method, owing to the clean water environment, have a great socioeconomic impact. A facile approach is promoted for detecting and degrading nicotine and gutka wastewater by the means of a wide range of ultraviolet light absorption and is applied in our current research. In this report, we successfully synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) by a co-precipitation method for photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection and degradation of smokeless tobacco from wastewater. X-ray diffraction study confirmed the face-centered cubic structure of CeO2 NPs. Raman analysis and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy endorsed the formation of CeO2 NPs. The as-fabricated CeO2 NP-modified graphite sheet electrode showed high sensitivity (98.1 μA/μM) and good linear range (10–150 nM) for the detection of tobacco from wastewater. The limit of detection was calculated as 0.15 nM. The catalyst photoelectrochemically degraded 93% of nicotine and 94.21% of gutka wastewater at 120 min. Toxicity studies of gutka with an in vivo nematode model, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Vigna radiata proved that PECO-degraded gutka waste had no deleterious effects on the survival (95.43%) (p < 0.01) of C. elegans when compared to nondegraded gutka waste (11.93%) and did not affect the physiological functions and reactive oxygen species production.

Synergistic High-Efficiency Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting via Type-II Heterojunction MW:BVO/CeO2 Coupled with Ultrathin NiFeOOH

“…15,16 Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) has been proven to exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance in the degradation of various organic dye pollutants, owing to its high oxygen storage capacity, catalytic reactions involving Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. 17 Additionally, appropriate band edge potentials that match the band edge energy levels of MW:BVO make it an ideal material for constructing staggered gap heterostructures. 18 The formation of the MW:BVO/CeO 2 system can also increase the surface area and reduce the grain size.…”

“…According to reports, integrating energy levels into heterogeneous structures of composite semiconductor photocatalysts can effectively suppress light-induced recombination of charge carriers. − The formation of heterogeneous structures can significantly improve the spatial charge separation effect, prolong the lifetime of charge carriers, and thus greatly enhance the photocatalytic performance . To achieve such a photoanode system, an n-type metal oxide semiconductor is commonly employed due to its ability to perform the anodic OER reaction without semiconductor degradation in highly oxidizing electrochemical environments. , Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) has been proven to exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance in the degradation of various organic dye pollutants, owing to its high oxygen storage capacity, catalytic reactions involving Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ ion pairs, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness . Additionally, appropriate band edge potentials that match the band edge energy levels of MW:BVO make it an ideal material for constructing staggered gap heterostructures .…”