Achieving water-floatable photocatalyst on recycled bamboo chopsticks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Disposable bamboo chopsticks (DBCs) pose recycling challenges and contribute to pollution.
• Developing efficient and sustainable water purification methods is crucial for environmental protection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel floatable photocatalyst (fPC) using DBCs for enhanced water purification.
• To investigate the photocatalytic activity and properties of the TiO2/TiC@b composite material.

Main Methods:

• A facile strategy was employed to coat TiC-Ti powders onto DBCs, followed by heat treatment in carbon powder to create TiO2/TiC@b.
• Characterization techniques including SEM, XPS, and density measurements were used to analyze the material.
• Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh.B) under visible light was evaluated.

Main Results:

• The resulting TiO2/TiC@b material exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light, with a low density of approximately 0.5233 g/cm³.
• Firm and uniform coatings of TiO2/TiC (20-50 nm particles) were achieved, featuring oxygen vacancies and a TiO2/TiC heterojunction that inhibited electron-hole recombination.
• The fPC degraded 62.4% of Rhodamine B dye within 3 hours, significantly outperforming previous adsorption methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed TiO2/TiC@b from DBCs is a simple, low-cost, and mass-producible floatable photocatalyst for effective water purification.
• The material's enhanced performance is attributed to improved visible-light response, increased surface area, and efficient charge transfer at the water/air interface.
• This innovative approach offers a promising solution for waste recycling and addressing water pollution challenges.