Removal and reuse of heavy metal ions on mildly oxidized Ti3C2 @BF membrane via synergistic photocatalytic-photothermal approach

Fangxian Wang; Shihao Li; Junwen Liang; Yuwei Wang; Haoran Song; Junwei Yang; Xuelin Zou; Changping Li

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131954

Removal and reuse of heavy metal ions on mildly oxidized Ti₃C₂ @BF membrane via synergistic photocatalytic-photothermal approach

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Sep 15:458:131954. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131954. Epub 2023 Jun 28.

Authors

Fangxian Wang¹, Shihao Li¹, Junwen Liang¹, Yuwei Wang¹, Haoran Song¹, Junwei Yang¹, Xuelin Zou², Changping Li³

Affiliations

¹ Research Center for Eco-Environmental Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China.
² School of Chemical Engineering and Energy Technology, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China.
³ Research Center for Eco-Environmental Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China. Electronic address: licpbit@hotmail.com.

PMID: 37392643
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131954

Abstract

The pollution of heavy metal ions in water seriously affects the ecosystem and human health. Here, an efficient synergetic photocatalytic-photothermal system is designed by combining a mildly oxidized Ti₃C₂ (mo-Ti₃C₂) with a super hydrophilic bamboo fiber (BF) membrane. The mo-Ti₃C₂ heterojunction promotes the transfer and separation of photoinduced charges and thus enhances the photocatalytic reduction of heavy metal ions (Co²⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺ and Cu²⁺). The photoreduced metal nanoparticles with high conductivity and LSPR effect further accelerate the transfer and separation of photoinduced charges, and improve photothermal and evaporative performance. The mo-Ti₃C₂-2.4 @BF membrane in Co(NO₃)₂ solution can achieve an excellent evaporation rate of 4.6 kg·m^-2·h^-1 and a high solar-vapor efficiency of up to 97.5% under the light intensity of 2.44 kW·m^-2, which are 27.8% and 19.6% higher than those in H₂O, respectively, demonstrating the reuse of photoreduced Co nanoparticles. No heavy metal ions are detected in any of the condensed water, and the Co²⁺ removal rate in the concentrated Co(NO₃)₂ solution is up to 80.4%. The synergetic photocatalytic-photothermal approach on the mo-Ti₃C₂ @BF membrane provides a new scope for the continuous removal and reuse of heavy metal ions, as well as for obtaining clean water.

Keywords: Heavy metal ions; Mo-Ti(3)C(2) @BF membrane; Removal; Reuse; Synergistic photocatalytic-photothermal.