Photocatalytic Degradation of Ampicillin Using PLA/TiO2 Hybrid Nanofibers Coated on Different Types of Fiberglass

Abstract

New photocatalytic membranes based on polylactic acid (PLA)/TiO2 hybrid nanofibers deposited on fiberglass supports were prepared and tested for the removal of ampicillin from aqueous solutions. The electrospinning technique was used to obtain hybrid nanofibers that were deposited on three types of fiberglass with different structures, resulting in three distinct photocatalytic membranes namely fiberglass fabric plain woven-type membrane, fiberglass mat-type membrane, and fiberglass fabric one-fold edge-type membrane. The results of the photocatalytic tests showed that the highest efficiency of ampicillin removal from aqueous solution is obtained with the fiberglass fabric plain woven-type membrane. Although it has been shown that the rate of photocatalytic degradation of ampicillin is high, being practically eliminated within the first 30 min of photocatalysis, the degree of mineralization of the aqueous solution is low even after two hours of photocatalysis due to the degradation of PLA from the photocatalytic membrane. The instability of PLA in the reactive environment of the photocatalytic reactor, evidenced by morphological, mineralogical and spectroscopic analyzes as well as by kinetic studies, is closely related to the structure of the fiberglass membrane used as a support for PLA/TiO2 hybrid nanofibers.

TiO2 Doped with Noble Metals as an Efficient Solution for the Photodegradation of Hazardous Organic Water Pollutants at Ambient Conditions

“…In our study, however, the results illustrate that the IWI technique provides better results than the US method. This statement is in line with other references indicating the better efficiency when IWI was used for TiO 2 doping with the aim of obtaining active solids for the photocatalytic degradation of different organic pollutants [54][55][56][57].…”

Insights into Biodegradable Polymer-Supported Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation

“…The pH is chosen according to the contaminant, and it can range between acidic and basic values. Some compounds can be degraded effectively in acidic environment, near to neutral pH, or in basic pH [16][17][18]. The effect of temperature can also be a significant factor in the removal efficiency of pollutants.…”

“…By employing the electrospinning method, PLA was also applied as a polymeric nanofiber matrix for the immobilization of TiO 2 particles. In a relative study, PLA/TiO 2 hybrid fibers were prepared on fiberglass substrates, while the photocatalytic efficiency of the obtained material was tried against ampicillin [17]. For the better adherence of the nanofibers onto the used supports, the surface of the latter was covered with PLA before utilizing the electrospinning process.…”

Preparation and Photocatalytic Characterization of Modified TiO2/Nd/rice Husk Ash Nanomaterial for Rifampicin Removal in Aqueous Solution

“…Pseudo-first order kinetic model was commonly used in number of studies to investigate 358 the antibiotic degradation process under the diferent conditions (Zhigang, Wang et al 2018, 359 Cizmic, Ljubas et al 2019, Bobirică, Bobirică et al 2020, photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethazine in aqueous solution using ZnO was reported. The findings showed that 78 and 95% of sulfamethazine were degraded after 60 min irradiation, the rate constant k obtained 2.58×10 −2 and 4.95×10 −2 min −1 without and with ZnO, respectively.…”