{"title":"Valorization of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Photocatalytic Applications: Development of Activated Carbon-TiO2 Composites","authors":"Mariana Rodrigues Meirelles, Amanda Soares Giroto, Karolina Furukawa and Maraísa Gonçalves*, ","doi":"10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c0051210.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00512","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p >This study investigates the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass residues to prepare activated carbon (AC) with high porosity for use as a support for TiO<sub>2</sub> photocatalysts aimed at degrading organic contaminants. Residues like coffee husk, sugarcane bagasse, and coffee grounds were converted into porous AC supports via chemical activation with zinc chloride. TiO<sub>2</sub> was synthesized using the peroxide gel method to be supported on these ACs, which were extensively characterized. The ACs exhibited high specific surface areas (up to 1600 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>–1</sup>) and pore volumes that were suitable for supporting TiO<sub>2</sub>. TiO<sub>2</sub> maintained its anatase phase after synthesis and dispersion on the ACs, with 10 ± 2 nm crystallite sizes. SEM and TEM analyses revealed good dispersion of TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles on the AC surface. Photocatalytic assays showed that the AC-TiO<sub>2</sub> composites efficiently degraded N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (APAP) under ultraviolet (UV) light, surpassing pure TiO<sub>2</sub>. Composites with higher TiO<sub>2</sub> content (85%) exhibited the best performance on the photodegradation, degrading 74% to 82% of APAP over 5 h. Pseudo-first-order kinetics indicated enhanced degradation rates for the composites compared to TiO<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, the AC-TiO<sub>2</sub> materials showed sustained photocatalytic activity over multiple cycles, confirming their stability and practical potential. XRD analysis verified the stability of the composites after six reuse cycles. This study demonstrates the feasibility of producing high-performance AC-TiO<sub>2</sub> composites from lignocellulosic residues, offering an economical and sustainable approach to environmental remediation technologies. The properties of ACs as TiO<sub>2</sub> supports enhance photocatalytic efficiency, promising significant applications in environmental cleanup and sustainable development.</p><p >This study explores the conversion of lignocellulosic residues into porous activated carbon for supporting TiO<sub>2</sub>. The prepared composites demonstrate efficiency of pollutants removal, offering a sustainable approach to environmental remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":100015,"journal":{"name":"ACS Sustainable Resource Management","volume":"2 3","pages":"524–535 524–535"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00512","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"ACS Sustainable Resource Management","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssusresmgt.4c00512","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigates the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass residues to prepare activated carbon (AC) with high porosity for use as a support for TiO2 photocatalysts aimed at degrading organic contaminants. Residues like coffee husk, sugarcane bagasse, and coffee grounds were converted into porous AC supports via chemical activation with zinc chloride. TiO2 was synthesized using the peroxide gel method to be supported on these ACs, which were extensively characterized. The ACs exhibited high specific surface areas (up to 1600 m2 g–1) and pore volumes that were suitable for supporting TiO2. TiO2 maintained its anatase phase after synthesis and dispersion on the ACs, with 10 ± 2 nm crystallite sizes. SEM and TEM analyses revealed good dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles on the AC surface. Photocatalytic assays showed that the AC-TiO2 composites efficiently degraded N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (APAP) under ultraviolet (UV) light, surpassing pure TiO2. Composites with higher TiO2 content (85%) exhibited the best performance on the photodegradation, degrading 74% to 82% of APAP over 5 h. Pseudo-first-order kinetics indicated enhanced degradation rates for the composites compared to TiO2. Furthermore, the AC-TiO2 materials showed sustained photocatalytic activity over multiple cycles, confirming their stability and practical potential. XRD analysis verified the stability of the composites after six reuse cycles. This study demonstrates the feasibility of producing high-performance AC-TiO2 composites from lignocellulosic residues, offering an economical and sustainable approach to environmental remediation technologies. The properties of ACs as TiO2 supports enhance photocatalytic efficiency, promising significant applications in environmental cleanup and sustainable development.
This study explores the conversion of lignocellulosic residues into porous activated carbon for supporting TiO2. The prepared composites demonstrate efficiency of pollutants removal, offering a sustainable approach to environmental remediation.