Physicochemical characteristic of regenerated cellulose/N-doped TiO2 nanocomposite membrane fabricated from recycled newspaper with photocatalytic activity under UV and visible light irradiation

• Main Authors: Mohamed, Mohamad Azuwa, Wan Salleh, Wan Norharyati, Jaafar, Juhana, Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi, Abd. Mutalib, Muhazri, Abdullah Sani, Nur Aimie, M. Asri, S.E.A., Ong, Chi Siang
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier 2016
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/73964/; https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84941619549&doi=10.1016%2fj.cej.2015.08.128&partnerID=40&md5=b7439f2baa1b6706507923f6dd07b75e

The use of recycled newspaper as sustainable cellulose resource for the fabrication of green organic/inorganic hybrid photocatalytic membrane via phase inversion method was highlighted in this study. The incorporation of N-doped TiO2 nanorods as a nanocomposite in regenerated cellulose membrane matrix to great extent has altered its morphological and physicochemical properties, as revealed by FESEM, AFM, FTIR, XRD, XPS, and UV-visible spectroscopy analyses. FTIR analysis suggested that there is a strong interaction between the hydroxyl groups of regenerated cellulose (RC) and the TiO2 nanorods through hydrogen bonding interactions. The UV-visible spectroscopy and XPS analysis confirmed that the highly visible light absorption capability of the prepared RC/TiO2 nanocomposite membrane is due to the existence of nitrogen as dopant in the TiO2 lattice structure. The resultant membranes showed a significant photocatalytic performance in the degradation of phenol in aqueous solution under UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. It was found that 0.5wt% of TiO2 nanorods was the best loading in the regenerated cellulose membrane (RCM) with desirable physicochemical and photocatalytic properties. This study promotes the use of RC/TiO2 nanocomposite membrane as a new and green portable photocatalyst in the field of wastewater treatment without leaving any photocatalyst in the reaction system. It is crucial to emphasize that the use of a non-toxic solvent-based system in this study provide a significant contribution towards the development of a green technology system.