Solar-Light-Driven N-TiO2-SiO2 Photocatalytic Activity on the Simultaneous Removal of Bisphenol-A and Escherichia coli

https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.99313

Minh Vien Le(1*), Trung Tan Tran(2), Anh Hoang Hoang(3), Hien Thao Nguyen(4), Vu Truong-Son Le(5), Van Hoang Luan(6), Manh Thang Ngo(7)

(1) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
(2) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
(3) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
(4) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
(5) University of Science and Education, University of Danang, 459 Ton Duc Thang Street, Da Nang City 550000, Vietnam
(6) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
(7) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


N-doped TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized using a facile sol-gel method and characterized through various techniques. Their photocatalytic performance was assessed by degrading BPA (10 mg L−1) and inactivating Escherichia coli (~109 CFU mL−1) under single and dual contaminant conditions using a 26 W solar light simulator. Among the synthesized materials, the N-TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposite with a 10% N:Ti molar ratio (TS5N10) demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity, achieving 83.9% BPA degradation and complete E. coli disinfection in single contaminant systems after 4 h of irradiation. Notably, TS5N10 exhibited robust performance even in dual-contaminant scenarios involving BPA and E. coli. Mechanistic investigations identified photo-generated holes as the dominant reactive species. The superior performance of TS5N10 was attributed to its nanostructure, high specific surface area, strong light absorption, and reduced photoinduced electron-hole recombination. These results highlight the potential of TS5N10 for practical water treatment applications.


Keywords


bisphenol A degradation; Escherichia coli inactivation; photocatalysis; simultaneous removal; TiO2

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/ijc.99313

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