Sorption and Photocatalysis of Dyes on an Oil-Based Composite Enriched with Nanometric ZnO and TiO2

Abstract

Sustainable development and environmental protection are among the most important challenges facing humanity today. One important issue is the problem of groundwater and surface water pollution which can lead to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems and negatively affect human health. As a result, new methods and materials are being sought that can help remove contaminants from water in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in composite materials made from used cooking oil. This paper presents attempts to obtain composite materials with the addition of nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium oxide. The characterization of the composite materials was performed using FTIR, XRD, and SEM-EDS; their sorption and photocatalytic abilities were studied using batch mode experiments. The materials obtained exhibited sorption and photocatalytic properties. The highest value of photodegradation efficiency of more than 70% was recorded for the oil composite containing 20% zinc oxide. Composites containing 10% zinc oxide and titanium oxide had comparable sorption efficiencies of about 45% but different photodegradation efficiencies of 0.52% and 15.42%, respectively.

Bio-enriched composite materials derived from waste cooking oil for selective reduction of odour intensity

“…TiO 2 or ZnO. Thanks to the photocatalytic properties of these oxides, the coatings have pollutant-degrading properties 17 , 18 . This type of solution requires a complicated procedure (producing a coating, applying it to the material and hardening it), and the introduction of nanoparticles into the environment is becoming increasingly controversial 19 , 20 .…”