Fabrication of zinc oxide nanorods for photocatalytic degradation of docosane, a petroleum pollutant, under solar light simulator

Abstract

pairs to be excited between the VB and CB, producing free radicals that immediately react with organic contaminants and transform them into harmless chemicals. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the compound docosane analysed using GC-MS/MS reached 68.5% at 5 hours of irradiation. A mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of docosane was proposed at pH ∼ 6.5, and a reduction of 60.5% of the total organic carbon (TOC) was achieved. Thus, the photocatalytic treatment of organic compounds contained in OPW has great potential and serves an important environmental purpose.

Topics & Concepts