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

• Published in: Journal of environmental health science and engineering 2024-06, Vol.22 (1), p.167-178
• Main Authors: Sharma, Deepti, Mishra, Jai Prakash, Dhayal, Veena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural wastes; Cellulose; Cellulose fibers; Dyes; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Economics; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Environmental Health; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Fibers; Industrial effluents; Industrial wastewater; Lead; Metal ions; Methylene blue; Nanoparticles; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Photodegradation; Pollutant removal; Quality of Life Research; Research Article; Sol-gel processes; Sunlight; Titanium; Titanium dioxide; Waste Management/Waste Technology; Waste materials; Wheat straw
• ISSN: 2052-336X; 2052-336X
• DOI: 10.1007/s40201-023-00884-9

In-situ modification of cellulose fibers with titania nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) (TiO 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 3 ) 2 } 4 ]. The synthesized TiO 2 NPs-cellulose composite was characterized by FT-IR, SEM–EDX, and XRD analyses. The obtained results exposed that TiO 2 NPs were homogeneously dispersed over the surface of cellulose fibers. A study was conducted to compare the photocatalytic activities of TiO 2 NPs-cellulose composite and TiO 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 2 NPs-cellulose composite than TiO 2 NPs. The adsorption capabilities of TiO 2 NPs-cellulose composite towards Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Cr 3+ toxic metal ions were also examined, and it was found 44.73 mg. g −1 (89.46%), 38.82 mg. g −1 (77.65%), and 4.42 mg. g −1 (8.85%), respectively. Removal of pollutants from textile industrial effluent were also investigated using TiO 2 NPs-cellulose composite under sun light. The results obtained were very promising which shows potential of TiO 2 NPs-cellulose composite as an efficient photocatalyst and absorbent for real time applications. Graphical abstract