Graphene quantum dots based on maltose as a high yield photocatalyst for efficient photodegradation of imipramine in wastewater samples

Raheleh Hatefi; Ali Mashinchian-Moradi; Habibollah Younesi; Saeed Nojavan

doi:10.1007/s40201-020-00569-7

Graphene quantum dots based on maltose as a high yield photocatalyst for efficient photodegradation of imipramine in wastewater samples

J Environ Health Sci Eng. 2020 Oct 31;18(2):1531-1540. doi: 10.1007/s40201-020-00569-7. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Raheleh Hatefi¹, Ali Mashinchian-Moradi¹, Habibollah Younesi², Saeed Nojavan³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU), P.O. Box 14515-775, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural Resources, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 64414-356, Noor, Iran.
³ Department of Analytical Chemistry and Pollutants, Shahid Beheshti University, P.O. Box 19839-4716, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: In this work, for the first time, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) based on maltose were fabricated as a new photocatalytic material to the photodegradation of imipramine (as a persistence organic pollutant) under light irradiation.

Methods: The synthesized GQDs were characterized by different instrumentation approaches such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A Box-Behnken design (BBD) and the response surface methodology (RSM) were applied for the optimization of different factors that affect the overall photocatalytic yield.

Results: Under the optimized conditions (pH of the sample solution: 2.0; photocatalyst dosage: 0.1 mg mL^-1; UV exposure time: 80 min), the highest achievable reduction efficiency was obtained about 80%. The stability and reusability of the synthesized photocatalytic material were investigated in four reaction cycles (80 min), which showed only a 15% photo-activity loss after the fourth photocatalytic runs.

Conclusions: The proposed method was successfully applied to degrade the mentioned drug in the real wastewater samples by about 70%. Regarding the mentioned advantages by the proposed method, this new kind of photocatalytic material possesses a strong potential for photodegradation of pollutants in industrial wastewater samples.

Graphical abstract: Photodegradation of imipramine using graphene quantum dots based on maltose.

Keywords: Graphene quantum dot; Imipramine; Maltose; Photocatalyst; Photodegradation; Wastewater treatment.