• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.1073-1081
• /
• 2000

The photo-oxidation of an aqueous humic acid solution using $TiO_2$ sols. which is transparent in visible range, was studied. The $TiO_2$ sols were prepared by a process wherein hydrogen peroxide was added to a gel of $TiO(OH)_2$ originated from hydrolysis of $TiCl_4$, and the resulting titanium peroxo solution(TPS) was heated. The concentration of $TiO_2$ used for photo-oxidation was about 100ppm, determined by comparing the photoluminescence(PL) intensity measured as a function of $TiO_2$ concentration. $TiO_2$ sols aged at $100^{\circ}C$ for more than 12h were found to exhibit a maximum rate in photocatalytic decomposition of humic acid. and the efficiency was better than that of Degussa P25. In addition, the resulting aqueous humic acid after photocatalytic decomposition with sols had an excellent transmittance of visible light, while that treated with Degussa P25 was still turbid. caused by $TiO_2$ particles.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.41-46
• /
• 2014

The property improvement of polycarbonate coated with a multilayer film composed of an inorganic $SiO_2$ film and a photocatalytic $TiO_2$ film was studied. The $SiO_2$ film as a binder had an excellent light transmission characteristic. After the treatment with atmospheric pressure plasma, the surface of $SiO_2$ film showed the hydrophilicity, which increased the film coating uniformity with a $TiO_2$-containing aqueous solution. When $TiO_2$ film was over 200 nm thick, the absorption effect of UV rays in the range of 180~400 nm suppressed the yellowing phenomena of polycarbonate substrate. The inorganic film improved the heat resistance of polycarbonate substrates. $TiO_2$ film in the outmost under the exposure of UV rays promotes the catalytic oxidation characteristics and yields the capability to the decomposition of organic contaminants, and also increases the self-cleaning properties due to the increase of hydrophilicity. Structural stability of the polycarbonate substrate coated with inorganic $TiO_2$ and $SiO_2$ film was shown. The role of $SiO_2$ film between $TiO_2$ and polycarbonate substrate suppressed the peeling of $TiO_2$ film by inhibiting the photocatalytic oxidation effect of $TiO_2$ film on the polycarbonate substrate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.36 no.11
• /
• pp.771-780
• /
• 2014

In this study, the various organic supports (i.e., silicone, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, epoxy, and, butadiene rubber) with great sorption capacity of organic contaminants were chosen to develop nano-ZnO/organic composites (NZOCs) and to prevent the detachment of nano-ZnO particles. The water resistance of the developed NZOCs were evaluated, and the feasibility of the developed NZOCs were investigated by evaluating the removal efficiency of 1,1,2-trichloroethylene (TCE) in the aqueous phase. Based on the results from water-resistance experiments, long-term water treatment usage of all NZOCs was found to be feasible. According to the FE-SEM, EDX, and imaging analysis, nano-ZnO/butadiene rubber composite (NZBC) with various sizes and types of porosity and crack was measured to be coated with relatively homogeneously-distributed nano-ZnO particles whereas nano-ZnO/silicone composite (NZSC), nano-ZnO/ABS composite (NZAC), and nano-ZnO/epoxy composite (NZEC) with poorly-developed porosity and crack were measured to be coated with relatively heterogeneously-distributed nano-ZnO particles. The sorption capacity of NZBC was close to 60% relative to the initial concentration, and this result was mainly attributed to the amorphous structure of NZBC, hence the hydrophobic partitioning of TCE to the amorphous structure of NZBC intensively occurred. The removal efficiency of TCE in aqueous phase using NZBC was close to 99% relative to the initial concentration, and the removal efficiency of TCE was improved as the amount of NZBC increased. These results stemmed from the synergistic mechanisms with great sorption capability of butadiene rubber and superior photocatalytic activities of nano-ZnO. Finally, the removal efficiency of TCE in aqueous phase using NZBC was well represented by linear model ($R^2{\geq}0.936$), and the $K_{app}$ values of NZBC were from 2.64 to 3.85 times greater than those of $K_{photolysis}$, indicating that butadiene rubber was found to be the suitable organic supporting materials with enhanced sorption capacity and without inhibition of photocatalytic activities of nano-ZnO.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 2017

Arsenic (As) has been considered as the most toxic one among various hazardous materials and As contamination can be caused naturally and anthropogenically. Major forms of arsenic in groundwater are arsenite [(As(III)] and/or arsenate [(As(V)], depending on redox condition: arsenite and arsenate are predominant in reduced and oxidized environments, respectively. Because arsenite is much more toxic and mobile than arsenate, there have been a number of studies on the reduction of its toxicity through oxidation of As(III) to As(V). This study was initiated to develop photocatalytic oxidation process for treatment of groundwater contaminated with arsenite. The performance of two types of light sources (UV lamp and UV LED) was compared and the feasibility of goethite as a photocatalyst was evaluated. The highest removal efficiency of the process was achieved at a goethite dose of 0.05 g/L. Based on the comparison of oxidation efficiencies of arsenite between two light sources, the apparent performance of UV LED was inferior to that of UV lamp. However, when the results were appraised on the basis of their emitting UV irradiation, the higher performance was achieved by UV LED than by UV lamp. This study demonstrates that environmentally friendly process of goethite-catalytic photo-oxidation without any addition of foreign catalyst is feasible for the reduction of arsenite in groundwater containing naturally-occurring goethite. In addition, this study confirms that UV LED can be used in the photo-oxidation of arsenite as an alternative light source of UV lamp to remedy the drawbacks of UV lamp, such as long stabilization time, high electrical power consumption, short lifespan, and high heat output requiring large cooling facilities.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.11 no.8
• /
• pp.690-696
• /
• 2001

$TiO_2$ coated coal fly ash has been prepared in order to develop the low price $TiO_2$ photocatalyst and spread out its utilizing field. $TiO_2$ particles is coated on the surface of coal fly ash by precipitation method. In this method, $TiCl_4$ aqueous solution was used as a titanium stock solution and $NH_4HCO_3$ was used as a precipitant. The titanium hydroxide precipitated on the surface of coal fly ash in these neutralizing reaction process was oxidized by heat treatment in temperature ranges of $300~700^{\circ}C$. The crystal structure of the generated titanium dioxide showed anatase type. The crystal size of titanium dioxide increased with raising the temperature of heat treatment, but the removal ability of NO gas decreased. When the titanium dioxide was heated at temperature ranges of $300~ 400^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours, the crystal size of titanium dioxide appeared about 9nm, and the removal rate of NO gas showed 85~ 92%. The whiteness of $TiO_2$ coated coal fly ash increased with raising the coating rate of titanium dioxide and the temperature of heat treatment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.261-268
• /
• 2012

Objectives: The photocatalytic degradation of toluene in a batch mode photoreactor for the purpose of the hazardous waste treatment was investigated. Methods: Kinetic experiments using a low pressure mercury lamp (Lambda Scientific Pty Ltd, 50 Watt) emitting both UV and visible light were performed at $31^{\circ}C$ over toluene concentrations ranging from 10 to 50 mg/l in water with $50%TiO_2/6%WO_3$ (TW) concentration of 1 g/l at a pH of 6. Results: Kinetic studies showed that $50%TiO_2/6%WO_3$ (TW) photocatalyst was highly active in toluene degradation; we observed that 99% of the pollutant was degraded after six hours under visible irradiation; furthermore, we observed that adsorption onto TW catalyst was responsible for the decrease of toluene with pseudo-first order kinetics. It was also found that oxygen as a radical source in the sol medium played a significant role in affecting the photodegradation of toluene, especially with a two-fold elevation. This increase was achieved by a more than four-fold elevation of the photodegradation of toluene in the presence of acetone than without, presumably via an energy transfer mechanism. Conclusions: We concluded that photodegradation in acetone and oxygen molecules along with TW was an effective method for the removal of toluene from wastewater.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.433-438
• /
• 2016

The current study evaluated the air quality of the smoking booth equipped with the air purification system consisting of photocatalysts and air filters by measuring the concentrations of hazardous substances of tobacco smoke such as CO, HCHO, $CH_3CHO$, PM10 and PM2.5. To enhance the removal efficiency of hazardous substances, an infrared ray was exposed to improve the reactivity of OH radical generated from the photocatalyst toward environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) gas phase hazardous materials. It was found that the smoking booth with the air purification system improved the removal efficiency of hazardous substances containing formaldehyde by 85.2% compared to that of the smoking booth without any purification systems. In addition, the removal efficiency of the fine dust after treatment was enhanced up to 89.4%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.227-234
• /
• 2017

This study attempted to establish the optimal conditions for storage of spring kimchi cabbage to stably control supply and demand. To this end, this study stored kimchi cabbages in various manners for different periods and compared the quality characteristics of kimchi using these cabbages. According to the results, pre-drying with photocatalytic and pre-cooling treatments showed average selectivity loss rates of 18.83 and 21.37%, respectively, which were lower than those of other treatments. Spring kimchi cabbages were stored for 15 weeks under various conditions, and the kimchi was stored for 4 weeks at $4^{\circ}C$. After ripening, each kimchi was analyzed for their soluble solid content, pH, acidity, and salinity. The average pH of kimchi was 4.60 and tended to rise, whereas average acidity was 0.38% and fell by 0.24 to 0.31% as the storage period was extended. Extension of the storage period caused decreases in soluble solid content and salinity, and the number of lactic acid bacteria decreased due to increased pH and reduced acidity (p<0.05). Sensory evaluation showed that all experts and non-professionals preferred kimchi treated by precooling compared to any other treatment.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.487-492
• /
• 2019

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a typical inorganic material that has an excellent photocatalytic property and a high refractive index. It is used in water/air purifiers, solar cells, white pigments, refractory materials, semiconductors, etc.; its demand is continuously increasing. In this study, anatase and rutile phase titanium dioxide is prepared using hydroxyl and carboxyl; the titanium complex and its mechanism are investigated. As a result of analyzing the phase transition characteristics by a heat treatment temperature using a titanium complex having a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group, it is confirmed that the material properties were different from each other and that the anatase and rutile phase contents can be controlled. The titanium complexes prepared in this study show different characteristics from the titania-formation temperatures of the known anatase and rutile phases. It is inferred that this is due to the change of electrostatic adsorption behavior due to the complexing function of the oxygen sharing point, which crystals of the TiO₆ structure share.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.37-44
• /
• 2016

In this study $TiO_2$/reduced graphene oxide ($TiO_2/rGO$) bipyramid with tunable nanostructure was fabricated by two-step solvothermal process and subsequent heat-treatment in air. The as-synthesized anatase $TiO_2$ nanocrystals possessed morphological bipyramid with exposed dominantly by (101) facets. Polyethylenimine was utilized during the combination of $TiO_2$ and graphene oxide (GO) to tune the surface charge, hindering the restack of graphene during solvothermal process and resulting in 1 to 5 layers of rGO wrapped on $TiO_2$ surface. After a further calcination, a portion of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with a diameter about 2 nm were produced owing to the oxidizing and cutting of rGO on $TiO_2$. The as-prepared $TiO_2/rGO$ hybrid showed a highly photocatalytic activity, which is about 3.2 and 7.7 times enhancement for photodegradation of methyl orange with compared to pure $TiO_2$ and P25, respectively. We assume that the improvement of photocatalysis is attributed to the chemical bonding between rGO/CQDs and $TiO_2$ that accelerates photogenerated electron-hole pair separation, as well as enhances light harvest.