TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light
Abstract Hybrid wastewater treatment systems offer viable solutions to enhance the removal of complicated contaminants from aqueous system. This innovation has opened new avenues for advanced wastewater treatment processes. Herein, a novel TiO2–ZnO functionalized coal fly ash-based ceramic membrane...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Discover Nano |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-024-04178-3 |
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| author | Lawrence Sawunyama Opeyemi A. Oyewo Seshibe S. Makgato Mokgadi F. Bopape Damian C. Onwudiwe |
| author_facet | Lawrence Sawunyama Opeyemi A. Oyewo Seshibe S. Makgato Mokgadi F. Bopape Damian C. Onwudiwe |
| author_sort | Lawrence Sawunyama |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hybrid wastewater treatment systems offer viable solutions to enhance the removal of complicated contaminants from aqueous system. This innovation has opened new avenues for advanced wastewater treatment processes. Herein, a novel TiO2–ZnO functionalized coal fly ash-based ceramic membrane was fabricated by utilizing a combined pressing and sintering method. The intrinsic properties of the functionalized membranes were characterized and their chemical and physical properties such as chemical stability, mechanical stability, water absorption, and porosity were established. The shape, crystallinity, thermal characteristics, and functional groups present were also determined using SEM, XRD, TGA, and FTIR studies, respectively. The results showed that the ceramic membrane functionalized with 0.5 g of TiO2–ZnO and sintered at 850 °C exhibited the best thermal, and chemical stability, and possessed the required porosity for ultrafiltration applications. Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) as a model pollutant was examined and the optimum efficiency of 77% was achieved within 100 min of visible irradiation using the functionalized membrane. Moreso, the functionalized membrane was found to be stable with 73% degradation efficiency after 5 consecutive cycles of reusability study, showing negligible loss of efficiency. The scale-up of photocatalytic ceramic membranes and their utilization in real industrial applications will confirm their robustness. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-087219cb647443378d66a6db1bc14903 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2731-9229 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Nano |
| spelling | doaj-art-087219cb647443378d66a6db1bc149032025-01-05T12:43:46ZengSpringerDiscover Nano2731-92292025-01-0120112010.1186/s11671-024-04178-3TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible lightLawrence Sawunyama0Opeyemi A. Oyewo1Seshibe S. Makgato2Mokgadi F. Bopape3Damian C. Onwudiwe4Materials Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM) Research Focus Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West UniversityDepartment of Chemical & Materials Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South AfricaDepartment of Chemical & Materials Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South AfricaDepartment of Chemical, Metallurgical and Material Engineering, Tshwane University of TechnologyMaterials Science Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM) Research Focus Area, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West UniversityAbstract Hybrid wastewater treatment systems offer viable solutions to enhance the removal of complicated contaminants from aqueous system. This innovation has opened new avenues for advanced wastewater treatment processes. Herein, a novel TiO2–ZnO functionalized coal fly ash-based ceramic membrane was fabricated by utilizing a combined pressing and sintering method. The intrinsic properties of the functionalized membranes were characterized and their chemical and physical properties such as chemical stability, mechanical stability, water absorption, and porosity were established. The shape, crystallinity, thermal characteristics, and functional groups present were also determined using SEM, XRD, TGA, and FTIR studies, respectively. The results showed that the ceramic membrane functionalized with 0.5 g of TiO2–ZnO and sintered at 850 °C exhibited the best thermal, and chemical stability, and possessed the required porosity for ultrafiltration applications. Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) as a model pollutant was examined and the optimum efficiency of 77% was achieved within 100 min of visible irradiation using the functionalized membrane. Moreso, the functionalized membrane was found to be stable with 73% degradation efficiency after 5 consecutive cycles of reusability study, showing negligible loss of efficiency. The scale-up of photocatalytic ceramic membranes and their utilization in real industrial applications will confirm their robustness. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-024-04178-3Photocatalytic ceramic membranesCoal fly ashHeterojunction photocatalystTetracyclineUltrafiltration |
| spellingShingle | Lawrence Sawunyama Opeyemi A. Oyewo Seshibe S. Makgato Mokgadi F. Bopape Damian C. Onwudiwe TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light Discover Nano Photocatalytic ceramic membranes Coal fly ash Heterojunction photocatalyst Tetracycline Ultrafiltration |
| title | TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light |
| title_full | TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light |
| title_fullStr | TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light |
| title_full_unstemmed | TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light |
| title_short | TiO2–ZnO functionalized low-cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light |
| title_sort | tio2 zno functionalized low cost ceramic membranes from coal fly ash for the removal of tetracycline from water under visible light |
| topic | Photocatalytic ceramic membranes Coal fly ash Heterojunction photocatalyst Tetracycline Ultrafiltration |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-024-04178-3 |
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