Ceramic-Based 3D Printed Supports for Photocatalytic Treatment of Wastewater

Abstract

3D printing technology has become a powerful tool to produce 3D structures in any type of materials. In this work, 3D printing technology is used to produce 3D porous structures in CaSO 4 which can be later activated with an appropriate photocatalyst. TiO 2 was selected as an ideal photocatalyst producing activated 3D structures which can be used to study their effectiveness in the degradation of pollutants in wastewater. Methylene blue was used as a model molecule in these studies. The photocatalytic studies showed that TiO 2 -activated 3D structures using nanoparticles of SiO 2 in the process produce more than 50% of conversion of methylene blue in just 1 h of irradiation and almost 90% in 5 h.

Leave No Photon Behind: Artificial Intelligence in Multiscale Physics of Photocatalyst and Photoreactor Design

“…[ 42 , 43 ] Furthermore, these systems have been shown to outperform slurry‐based systems [ 42 ] used frequently for aqueous organic decomposition, while avoiding the need for costly separation steps. [ 44 ] Different types of supports have been investigated for intensifying thermal catalysis, as shown in Figure 4 , and are now being applied to photocatalysis. For example, nanoscale pores on the order of ≈30 nm found in aerogels [ 45 ] show promise, as the proximity of struts in the structure enhances light scattering; however, limitations in transport properties occur whereby the nano pores cause slow diffusion into and out of the structure, resulting in high contact time (and potentially back reactions) which may limit their effectiveness for fast reaction processes.…”

3D printing for membrane separation, desalination and water treatment

“…Heterogeneous photocatalysis works by oxidizing the polluting compounds through the reaction of a semiconductor material that is activated upon exposure of a light source at specific wavelengths [78]. The use of photocatalytic materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) can dramatically increase the rate of water and wastewater treatment.…”

“…This can be addressed by preparing a feedstock polymer that has been incorporated with photocatalysts such as titania and then subjecting to pyrolysis to obtain the titania-decorated open-cell structure along the whole surface [83]. Another approach is by impregnation process of photocatalytic material onto a 3D-printed supporting structure [78]. Research by de Rancourt de Mimerand et al [84] reported the preparation of a very complicated fractal-based 3D-printed (by FDM) structure that was plasma-activated to produce a hybrid photocatalyst fractal structures in the form of fractal pyramids (fracmids).…”

3D Printing in Heterogeneous Catalysis—The State of the Art

“…Once impregnated with SiO 2 and TiO 2 , the structures were tested in a process of degradation of wastewater pollutants. It was demonstrated that the photocatalysts helped to achieve more than 50% and nearly 90% of methylene blue conversion over 1 h and 5 h of irradiation, respectively [ 95 ]. Structures of various shapes built by Fused Filament Fabrication from polymer nanocomposites, i.e., ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) doped with TiO 2 , proved to be efficient photocatalysts in the degradation of rhodamine 6G [ 96 ].…”