Scholarlink

<p>The widespread pollution of microplastics, particularly low-density polyethylene, in various ecosystems has raised substantial environmental and health concerns. The urgent need to mitigate microplastic pollution has led to extensive research, with photocatalysis emerging as one of the most effective methods for microplastic degradation. This study investigates the efficacy of nanocomposites based on TiO<sub>2</sub> and clay minerals as photocatalysts in the photocatalytic degradation of low-density polyethylene microplastics under UV-A light irradiation, in aqueous solution. The incorporation of TiO<sub>2</sub> within clay layers improved optical properties and photocatalytic performance, reducing the band gap from 3.10&#xa0;eV for bare TiO<sub>2</sub> to 2.95 eV and 2.88 eV for TiO<sub>2</sub>-MMT and TiO<sub>2</sub>-Kao, respectively. After 480&#xa0;min, the mass loss of microplastics showed 14.90% with TiO<sub>2</sub>, 21.25% with TiO<sub>2</sub>-MMT, and 28.36%&#xa0;with TiO<sub>2</sub>-Kao. µ-FTIR analysis confirmed carbonyl group formation in low-density polyethylene, with the highest carbonyl index value of 1.41 observed using TiO<sub>2</sub>-Kao. The effects of operating variables, including irradiation time, the LDPE-to-catalyst ratio, pH, and ionic strength, were also investigated. The highest mass loss using TiO<sub>2</sub>-Kao was 30.96% in 60 min under strongly acidic conditions. Doubling the TiO<sub>2</sub>-Kao amount in the reaction system increased the mass loss of LDPE by up to 10%. On the contrary, at high ionic strength values, LDPE experienced twice the lower mass loss compared to values at distilled water. This study highlights the potential of using nanocomposites based on TiO<sub>2</sub> and clay minerals for the photocatalytic degradation of LDPE, emphasizing the importance of optimization of reaction parameters.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Application of nanocomposites based on TiO2 and clay minerals for the photocatalytic degradation of low-density polyethylene microplastics

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月29日

查看全文
  • S. Pleskytė,
  • I. Uogintė,
  • S. Stanionytė,
  • A. Selskienė,
  • S. Byčenkienė

摘要

The widespread pollution of microplastics, particularly low-density polyethylene, in various ecosystems has raised substantial environmental and health concerns. The urgent need to mitigate microplastic pollution has led to extensive research, with photocatalysis emerging as one of the most effective methods for microplastic degradation. This study investigates the efficacy of nanocomposites based on TiO2 and clay minerals as photocatalysts in the photocatalytic degradation of low-density polyethylene microplastics under UV-A light irradiation, in aqueous solution. The incorporation of TiO2 within clay layers improved optical properties and photocatalytic performance, reducing the band gap from 3.10 eV for bare TiO2 to 2.95 eV and 2.88 eV for TiO2-MMT and TiO2-Kao, respectively. After 480 min, the mass loss of microplastics showed 14.90% with TiO2, 21.25% with TiO2-MMT, and 28.36% with TiO2-Kao. µ-FTIR analysis confirmed carbonyl group formation in low-density polyethylene, with the highest carbonyl index value of 1.41 observed using TiO2-Kao. The effects of operating variables, including irradiation time, the LDPE-to-catalyst ratio, pH, and ionic strength, were also investigated. The highest mass loss using TiO2-Kao was 30.96% in 60 min under strongly acidic conditions. Doubling the TiO2-Kao amount in the reaction system increased the mass loss of LDPE by up to 10%. On the contrary, at high ionic strength values, LDPE experienced twice the lower mass loss compared to values at distilled water. This study highlights the potential of using nanocomposites based on TiO2 and clay minerals for the photocatalytic degradation of LDPE, emphasizing the importance of optimization of reaction parameters.

Graphical abstract