Facile removal of bisphenol A from water through novel Ag-doped TiO2 photocatalytic hollow fiber ceramic membrane

Water pollution is becoming a crucial problem posing a serious threat for living organisms. Recently, photocatalytic membranes are used to purify drinking water and have shown a great potential in efficient for water and wastewater treatment. This study was conducted to remove bisphenol A (BPA) from water. Ag-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were deposited onto ceramic hollow fiber support by facile dip coating method to produce photocatalytic Ag-doped TiO2 ceramic membrane. The nanoparticles were firstly synthesized via liquid impregnation method, while kaolin support was fabricated using phase inversion and sintering method. BPA was used to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the coated ceramic membrane. The effect of deposition time (0–120 s) of Ag-doped TiO2 photocatalyst over the ceramic membrane on the photocatalytic efficiency of the ceramic membrane was investigated. The structural analysis of Ag-doped TiO2 ceramic membranes was performed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), which confirmed the anatase crystal phase of Ag/TiO2 nanoparticles over the ceramic membrane. The surface morphology was explored via field-emission electron scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and a significant change was observed in the surface morphology of the coated membrane over deposition time. The energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) was used to find the elemental composition. UV–visible absorption spectra indicate that the Ag/TiO2 nanoparticles were extended to the visible region. The photocatalytic BPA removal efficiency of 88% was exhibited by Ag/TiO2-coated TM-120 ceramic membrane (the membrane coated for 120 s) in 270 min under visible light. This research is useful for purification of drinking water through nanoparticle-coated ceramic membrane.