Bare titania and metal-promoted TiO2 catalysts were employed in the treatment of nitrates, which are ubiquitous pollutants of wastewater. The results show that the process can be carried out under visible light (from a white light LED lamp) and, in the best case, 23.5% conversion of nitrate was obtained over 4 h with full selectivity towards N-2 by employing 0.1 mol% Ag/TiO2 prepared by flame spray pyrolysis. Moreover, the performance was worse when testing the same catalysts with tap water (11.3% conversion), due to the more complex composition of the matrix. Finally, it was found that photoreduction of nitrate can be effectively performed in combination with photo-oxidation of ammonium without loss in the activity, opening up the possibility of treating highly polluted wastewater with a single process. The latter treatment employs the two contaminants simultaneously as electron and holes scavengers, with very good selectivity, in a completely new process that we may call Photo-Selective Catalytic Reduction (Photo-SCR).

Photocatalytic Reduction of Nitrates and Combined Photodegradation with Ammonium / F. Conte, V. Pellegatta, A. Di Michele, G. Ramis, I.G. Rossetti. - In: CATALYSTS. - ISSN 2073-4344. - 12:3(2022 Mar), pp. 321.1-321.16. [10.3390/catal12030321]

Photocatalytic Reduction of Nitrates and Combined Photodegradation with Ammonium

F. Conte
Primo
;
I.G. Rossetti
Ultimo
2022

Abstract

Bare titania and metal-promoted TiO2 catalysts were employed in the treatment of nitrates, which are ubiquitous pollutants of wastewater. The results show that the process can be carried out under visible light (from a white light LED lamp) and, in the best case, 23.5% conversion of nitrate was obtained over 4 h with full selectivity towards N-2 by employing 0.1 mol% Ag/TiO2 prepared by flame spray pyrolysis. Moreover, the performance was worse when testing the same catalysts with tap water (11.3% conversion), due to the more complex composition of the matrix. Finally, it was found that photoreduction of nitrate can be effectively performed in combination with photo-oxidation of ammonium without loss in the activity, opening up the possibility of treating highly polluted wastewater with a single process. The latter treatment employs the two contaminants simultaneously as electron and holes scavengers, with very good selectivity, in a completely new process that we may call Photo-Selective Catalytic Reduction (Photo-SCR).
Nitrate photoreduction; Nitrogen-containing pollutants; Photocatalysis; SCR; Titania; Wastewater treatment;
Settore ING-IND/25 - Impianti Chimici
   Innovative technologies for the abatement of N-containing pollutants in water (DEN)
   DEN
   FONDAZIONE CARIPLO
   2015-0186

   Unconventional Photoreactors (UP)
   UP
   FONDAZIONE CARIPLO
   2016-0858
mar-2022
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/916004
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