title: Cuprous oxide created on sepiolite: preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activity in treatment of red water from 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene manufacturing.
abstract: Cuprous oxide is firstly created on acidized sepiolite (AS) by a simple deposition method for photocatalytic degradation of the red water produced from 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) manufacturing. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection absorptive spectroscopy (UV-vis/DRS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy are used to characterize the photocatalyst composites. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is employed to determine the organic constituents in the red water. The results show that the cuprous oxide particles can be immobilized on the surface of the AS fibers and the structure of the AS is altered when cuprous oxide interacts with AS via chemical reactions besides physical adsorption. The AS improves the optical properties of cuprous oxide and red-shifts the band gap thereby enhancing the utilization of visible light. The Cu(2)O/AS composites demonstrate excellent photocatalytic performance in the degradation of red water. 87.0% of red water can be photocatalytically degraded by Cu(2)O/AS after illumined for 5h and a majority of organic components of red water except 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene were degraded according to GC-MS analysis.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes & Mineral Resources, National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qingwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yihe
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fengzhu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Zhengfan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Fengshan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D053834:Explosive Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D007220:Industrial Waste; D017633:Magnesium Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014303:Trinitrotoluene / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D053834:Explosive Agents; D007220:Industrial Waste; D017633:Magnesium Silicates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014303:Trinitrotoluene; D003300:Copper; C001671:magnesium trisilicate; C000520:cuprous oxide