Speaker
Emmanuel Nyankson
(Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK)
Description
The accidental release of crude oil and water-soluble dyes into our marine environment is a
major concern of the environmental protection agency of most countries worldwide. Different
materials are therefore being developed and investigated for their potential application in
remediating these pollutants. Semiconductor based photocatalysts have been examined for their
potential in solving many environmental and energy problems. Developing highly efficient
visible light active photocatalyst which can be used in environmental remediation has therefore
become the focus of most researchers. A highly efficient Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst was
synthesized by a modified precipitation method. The as-synthesized Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 was
characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy
dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS). The Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst showed an increase of over 300 % in rate of photocatalytic
degradation of rhodamine blue dye when compared to Ag 3 PO 4 under visible light illumination.
Heat treatment of the as synthesized Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 almost doubled its pseudo first order rate
constant for the degradation of rhodamine blue dye. The synthesized photocatalyst was stable
after cycles of photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine blue dye. The potential application of the
Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 in oil spill remediation was examined through photocatalytic degradation of
asphaltene, aromatic and paraffin components in crude oil. UV-vis, FTIR and GC-MS analysis of
the oil components after visible light irradiation showed excellent degradation with the formation
of intermediate photoproducts. The photocatalytic activity enhancement of the Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 can be
attributed to the good electron trapping role of Ag nanoparticles deposited on the surface of the
Ag 3 PO 4 . Th results from the study showed the potential application of Ag-Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst
in environmental remediation.
Primary author
Emmanuel Nyankson
(Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK)
