Efficient Chemical-Free Degradation of Waterborne Micropollutants with an Immobilized Dual-Porous TiO2 Photocatalyst

Photocatalytic advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) promisea chemical-freeroute to energy-efficient degradation of waterborne micropollutantsif long-standing mass transfer and light management issues can beovercome. Herein, we developed a dual-porous photocatalytic systemconsisting of a mesoporous (i.e., 2-50 nm pores) TiO2 (P25) photocatalyst supported on macroporous (i.e., >50 nm pores)fused quartz fibers (P25/QF). Our reusable photocatalytic AOP reduceschemical consumption and exhibits excellent energy efficiency, demonstratedby degrading various pharmaceutical compounds (acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole,and carbamazepine) in natural waters with electrical energy per order(E-EO) values of 4.07, 0.96, and 1.35 kWh/m(3),respectively. Compared to the conventional H2O2/UVC AOP, our photocatalytic AOP can treat water without chemicaladditives while reducing energy consumption by over 2800%. We examinethese improvements based on mass transport and optical (UVA and UVC)transmittance and demonstrate that the enhancements scale with increasingflow rate.