Modification of cellulose with TiO2 nanoparticles: Potential solar driven photocatalyst and adsorbent

• Published in: Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 2023
• Main Authors: Sharma, Deepti, Mishra, Jai Prakash, Dhayal, Veena
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Azo compounds; Cellulose; Methylene blue; Nanoparticles; Titanium
• ISSN: 2052-336X; 2052-336X
• DOI: 10.1007/s40201-023-00884-9

In-situ modification of cellulose fibers with titania nanoparticles (TiO.sub.2 NPs) (TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose) was carried out via the sol-gel process using titania sol and fibers of cellulose. Cellulose fibers were extracted from wheat straw, an agricultural waste material, whereas titania sol was prepared from titanium(IV) acetoximate, [Ti{ONC(CH.sub.3).sub.2}.sub.4]. The synthesized TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose composite was characterized by FT-IR, SEM-EDX, and XRD analyses. The obtained results exposed that TiO.sub.2 NPs were homogeneously dispersed over the surface of cellulose fibers. A study was conducted to compare the photocatalytic activities of TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose composite and TiO.sub.2 NPs towards the degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange dyes under sunlight, and it was observed that the photo-degradation of methylene blue (99.99%) and methyl orange (80.73%) within 160 min is higher in the presence of TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose composite than TiO.sub.2 NPs. The adsorption capabilities of TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose composite towards Pb.sup.2+, Cd.sup.2+, and Cr.sup.3+ toxic metal ions were also examined, and it was found 44.73 mg. g.sup.-1 (89.46%), 38.82 mg. g.sup.-1 (77.65%), and 4.42 mg. g.sup.-1 (8.85%), respectively. Removal of pollutants from textile industrial effluent were also investigated using TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose composite under sun light. The results obtained were very promising which shows potential of TiO.sub.2 NPs-cellulose composite as an efficient photocatalyst and absorbent for real time applications. Graphical abstract Keywords: Titania modified cellulose, Nanocomposite, Adsorption, Photocatalyst, Toxic metal ions