IASST team’s metal oxide nanocomposite to sustainably degrade organic pollutants

New Delhi: A team of scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has developed a new metal oxide nanocomposite to help in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants like dyes and pharmaceuticals. It can be used as a sustainable technology for cleaning up the environment, said the team in the paper, published in the journal Inorganic Chemistry Communications.

Metal oxide photocatalysis offers a sustainable solution for removing organic pollutants from water bodies. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and tungsten trioxide (WO3) are notable catalysts due to their high surface area and stability.

When these metals get exposed to light, they generate electron-hole pairs that degrade pollutants into harmless by-products. But, the choice of metal oxide, crystal structure, light parameters, pollutant concentration, pH, and catalyst loading can affect efficiency. Optimising these factors is crucial for maximising degradation rates.

The team led by Arundhuti Devi at IASST characterised and tested Ni-doped TiO2 on Fuller’s earth (NiTF) as a photocatalyst for methylene blue decolorisation.

“It achieved 96.15 per cent decolorisation of dye solution at pH 9.0 under visible light for 90 minutes. Fuller’s earth improved TiO2 adsorption in the dark, suggesting cost-effective environmental photocatalysts,” the team said. The nanocomposite can have potential applications in catalysis, energy storage, sensors, optoelectronics, biomedical fields, coatings, and renewable energy production through water splitting.