Materials Research Bulletin, Vol.101, 6-11, 2018
3D Photocatalytic media for decontamination of water from pesticides
This work focuses on the development of innovative photocatalytic material, for decontamination of water from pollutants, by functionalization of reticulated metallic foam with TiO2. The composition and texture of the prepared photocatalyst support were characterized using scanning electron microscope. The results showed a good deposition of the catalyst on the surface of the tested media with a recovery rate of 40 +/- 3% which was interesting comparing to the coating rate obtained with industrial media (< 20%). To prove the efficiency of the developed materiel, the photodegradation of pyrimethanil, at room temperature using the developed support under UV radiation was tested. A complete degradation of pyrimethanil was observed. The time required for total elimination of the pesticide varies depending on the initial concentration and in general, it was observed that a higher pesticide concentration required a longer time to be eliminated, however, for all tested concentrations, 5 h were sufficient for total elimination.