photocatalytic removal of organic micropollutants from the
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Did you know that...
There are 18 deliverables to be
completed by the end of the pro-
ject, including:
Dissemination activities
A protocol on synthesis of
various TiO2-RGO composite
catalysts
A technical report on catalyst
characterisation
A technical report on photo-
catalytic degradation on cho-
sen emerging pollutants
A technical report on the
design, setup and operation
of a bench scale photochemi-
cal reactor and a micro-
filtration system pilot treat-
ment unit for the recovery of
the catalyst
University of Cyprus
NIREAS-International Water
Research Center
Technical University of Crete
S.K Euromarket Ltd
Heterogeneous semiconductor photocatalysis
is an advanced oxidation process which makes
use of catalysts such as TiO2 to produce
radicals which, in the presence of sunlight can
break down organic micropollutants, to less
harmful substances which do not pose a threat
to humans and the environment.
Despite the usefulness of the application of
heterogeneous photocatalysis, it has the
following drawbacks, which this project seeks
to tackle by coupling the process with
graphene:
The abovementioned issues are addressed by
PhotoGraph for the effective application of TiO2
photocatalysis for degradation of trace organic
pollutants, by:
Coupling TiO2 with graphene for minimizing
charge carrier recombination.
Employing commercially available carbon
doped TiO2 catalysts which absorb in the
visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Applying a post-treatment for the separation
and recovery of TiO2, based on cross-flow
microfiltration.
This project will investigate the degradation of
selected contaminants of emerging concern which
pose risk for human health and the environment.
The PhotoGraph (ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΑ/ΑΣΤΙ/0311(ΒΙΕ)/33) project is co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund
Photocatalytic Removal of Organic Micropollutants from the Aqueous
Phase using TiO2 coupled with Graphene as a Photocatalyst
ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΑ/ΑΣΤΙ/0311(BIE)/33
PhotoGraph Newsletter March2013
The degradation of the four model compounds
was examined by the University of Cyprus in
distilled water under simulated solar irradiation,
in laboratory conditions. Environmentally relevant
concentrations of the four organic micro-
pollutants are tested to see how the compounds
behave at real environmental concentrations.
The initial tests of photocatalytic degradation
were done primarily for each catalyst and each
organic compound separately, and then for the
organic compounds together in mixture. Figure 3
shows the photocatalytic degradation of the anti-
biotic sulfamethoxazole using 6 commercially
available TiO2 catalysts. P25 Degussa was prov-
en to be the most efficient one with complete
removal in 60 minutes of treatment under solar
irradiation.
WP5 - Testing the photocatalytic efficien-
cy of the TiO2 - Reduced Graphene Oxide
catalysts for the degradation of emerging
organic pollutants
Figure 2. UV-Vis absorption spectrum of an aqueous suspen-sion of exfoliated graphene oxide.
Figure 1. FT-IR spectra of graphite oxide samples
The particle and surface properties of the cata-
lysts regarding their reactivity using analytical and
microscopic techniques such as FT-IR and UV-Vis
spectrum measurements were characterised by
the Technical University of Crete. The main re-
sults of this WP are summarised in Figure and
Figure 2 .
WP4 - Characterisation of the synthesized photocatalysts and toxicity measurements
Background
The characterisation of samples is in progress us-
ing additional characterisation techniques in order
to reveal their main structural features. Figure 3. Degradation rate of sulfamethoxazole using commer-cially available catalysts.
The innovative element of this project lies in
the synthesis of newly developed catalysts
which have not been used before and include
the synthesis of TiO2-graphene composite
catalysts.
P25 Degussa
Kronos 7000
PC 105
PC 500
UV 100
Kronos 7001
Dr. Despo Fatta-Kassinos
Assistant Professor
Work team:
Dr. Irene Michael
Dr. Costas Michael
Ms. Popi Karaolia
Department of Civil and Environmen-
tal Engineering
NIREAS-International Water
Research Center
University of Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus
Tel: (+ 357 )22 883515
Fax: (+ 357) 22 895080
Dr. Nikos Xekoukoulotakis
Assistant Professor
Work team:
Dr. Danae Venieri
Ms Katerina Drosou
Department of Environmental
Engineering
Technical University of Crete
University Campus
GR-73100 Chania, Greece
Tel: (+30) 28210 37772
Fax: (+30) 28210 37848
The partners had the opportunity to get together and dis-
cuss the preliminary project technical matters and the work
to follow on the work packages of the project, on the 15th of
June, 2012 at the Nireas-IWRC premises. The project time-
table and the responsible persons for each working pack-
age were allocated. The analytical timeframe of the work
package actions was also prepared. The prepared reports
toward the completion of WP1 are:
1st progress report after 6 months
2nd progress report after 1 year
The synthesized catalysts were made using a methodology
involving chemical pre-oxidation and oxidisation of graphite
using the Hummer’s method and its exfoliation, followed by
reduction of the exfoliated graphene sheets in the presence
of TiO2, achieving simultaneous hydrothermal formation of
TiO2 - reduced graphene oxide composites. This work pack-
age is implemented by the project team located at the Tech-
nical University of Crete.
WP1 - Project Management
Various actions were prepared for result dissemination:
A notice board
Newsletters
A website (www.photographproject.com)
An article in the UCY newspaper ‘Κοινότητα’
An article in the newspaper ‘Καθημερινή’
An article in the online portal ‘typologos.com’
The project work was also presented in the following scien-
tific conferences:
European Conference/Workshop on the Synthesis, Char-
acterisation and Applications of Graphene (Myconos,
September 2012)
Panhellenic Catalysis Symposium (Chania, October
2012)
WP3 - Synthesis of TiO2—Reduced Graphene Oxide
Composite Photocatalysts
The actions carried out during the first year of the project
were implemented successfully by the consortium which is
made out of:
University of Cyprus
Technical University of Crete
S.K. Euromarket Ltd.
WP2 - Dissemination of results
The outstanding properties of graphene which make it an interesting material to be studied are:
High specific surface area which increases adsorption of pollutants
Transparent one-atom thickness
Extended light absorption range toward the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum
Excellent electron mobility through the charge transportation and electron/hole separation in TiO2
The contaminants of emerging concern under investigation include:
The antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, a sulfonamide antibiotic widely used in medicine.
The synthetic estrogen 17α-ethynylestradiol, a synthetic estrogen which has been found to pose es-
trogenic effects at very low concentrations.
The X-ray media sodium diatrizoate, shown to have estrogenic and mutagenic activity. X-ray media
are used for medical imaging in order to enhance the contrast between blood vessels and organs.
The illicit drug cocaine, which belongs to a group of substances recently emerging as a very important
class of organic micro-pollutants in aquatic bodies.
Contaminants of emerging concern
Main activities and results