Vanadium doped titania nanoparticles for photocatalytic removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions

Abstract

Sol-gel process with continuous ultrasonication was used to produce pure and vanadium doped titania powders. The amount of vanadium doped in titania was varied by using different initial concentrations of vanadium solutions. Scanning electron microscopy and particle size analyses showed formation of spherical shaped particles with diameter ranging from 3 to 11 nm. The average pore volume was 0.0248 cm 3 /g, and the surface areas of pure and V-doped titania were 62.9 and 66.1 m 2 /g, respectively. The maximum amount of vanadium doped on titania catalyst, as determined using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was 1.7 wt%, and the X-ray diffraction patterns showed the presence of mainly anatase form of titania. The photocatalytic activities of pure and V-doped titania were tested for methylene blue, and the metal uptake was found to increase from 10 mg/g for pure titania to 17 mg/g for V-doped titania. Adsorption isotherms for removal of lead and zinc from aqueous solutions were generated under ultraviolet exposure for 24 h, and the results revealed that the photocatalytic activity was enhanced when titania was doped with vanadium.

Recent Advances in Adsorptive Nanocomposite Membranes for Heavy Metals Ion Removal from Contaminated Water: A Comprehensive Review

“…Similar to their unmodified counterparts, photocatalytic removal of Zn and Pb ions from an aqueous solution utilizing vanadium-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles resulted in greater metal ion removal efficiency for vanadium-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles. Vanadium-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles exhibited increased metal ion removal efficiencies from 7 to 11 mg.g −1 for Zn and 17 to 26 mg.g −1 for Pb ions, respectively [ 114 ]. TiO 2 nanoparticles are increasingly being employed in wastewater treatment due to their remarkable adsorption capabilities.…”

“…As adsorbents for heavy metal ions, magnesium oxide offers several benefits, which include an exceptional adsorption capacity, low cost, low toxicity, good availability, and an eco-friendly behavior [ 114 ]. Metal ion removal efficiency is higher in nanosized MgO than in commercially available bulk MgO ( Table 1 ).…”

Modified sol-gel process for synthesis of molybdenum oxide-doped titanium dioxide

“…Among these TiO 2 production processes, the sol-gel method has been proven to be highly effective owing to its simplicity and low-cost setup. However, the ability to control the properties of the final material is limited because of many factors, such as rapid gel formation, temperature fluctuations, and aggregate formation [ 5 , 6 ].…”

“…To overcome the limitations of the conventional sol-gel process, a modified sol-gel method was developed to provide an enhanced strategy for the synthesis of pure and metal-doped titanium nanoparticles. These modifications include:(1) the use of a double-jacketed cooling system to prevent rapid gel formation by precisely controlling the reaction temperature, (2) the utilization of ultrasonication during the hydrolysis period to prevent particle agglomeration, and(3) the use of two different alcohols in mixtures A and B (detailed in the section below), as it was experimentally determined to be effective in producing smaller and spherical catalyst particles [ 6 , 7 ].…”