Browsing by Author "Mouele, Emile Salomon Massima"
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Item Anticorrosion coated stainless steel as durable support for C-N-TiO2 photo catalyst layer(MDPI, 2020) Mouele, Emile Salomon Massima; Dinu, Mihaela; Parau, Anca ConstantinaThe development of durable photocatalytic supports resistant in harsh environment has become challenging in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) focusing on water and wastewater remediation. In this study, stainless steel (SS), SS/Ti (N,O) and SS/Cr-N/Cr (N,O) anticorrosion layers on SS meshes were dip-coated with sol gel synthesised C-N-TiO2 photo catalysts pyrolysed at 350◦C for 105 min, using a heating rate of 50◦C/min under N2 gas. The supported C-N-TiO2 films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that C-N-TiO2 was successfully deposited on anticorrosion coated SS supports and had different morphologies. The amorphous C and TiO2 were predominant in C-N-TiO2 over anatase and rutile phases on the surface of Scandent corrosion supports. TheC-N-TiO2 coated films showed enhanced photocatalytic activity for the discoloration of O.II dye under both solar and UV radiations. The fabricated C-N-TiO2 films showed significant antibacterial activities in the dark as well as in visible light. Herein, we demonstrate that SS/Ti(N,O) and SS/Cr-N/Cr(N,O) anticorrosion coatings are adequate photocatalytic and corrosion resistant supports. The C-N-TiO2 photo catalytic coatings can be used for water and wastewater decontamination of pollutants and microbes.Item Degradation of persistent organic pollutants (pharmaceuticals & dyes) by combined dielectric barrier electrohydraulic discharge system and photo catalysts(University of the Western Cape, 2019) Mouele, Emile Salomon Massima; Petrik, Leslie; Fatoba, Olanrewaju OjoWater pollution problems have continued to increase not only in South Africa but worldwide due to human activities. The presence of organic toxins and bacteria in water sources is mostly due to population growth, industrial development and agricultural run-off. The accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in water and wastewater sources has raised various questions on the safety of potable water used for drinking, households and other activities. Traditional mechanical, biological, physical, and chemical methods such as flocculation, coagulation, reverse osmosis, filtration, ultrafiltration, adsorption and active sludge treatment methods have failed to remove these new xenobiotic from aquatic media. This is due to the fact that instead of degrading the toxins, the methods listed above often transform organic contaminants from one form another. Also, the post treatment of by-products resulting from these methods is costly. In addition, this new generation of contaminants, often referred to as compounds of emerging concern (CECs), exist in tiny concentrations (ng) and conventional techniques have not been designed for these low levels of pollutants which consequently pass through during treatment processes and end up in the treated effluents at minute concentrations (ug/L to ng/L). However, complete remediation of chemical toxins in wastewater treatment plants has not been achieved. A better option involves the direct oxidation of the pollutants in the effluent but so far their complete mineralisation has not been achieved. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged in recent years as adequate techniques for the complete removal of POPs. AOPs focus more on the production of non-selective hydroxyl radicals (OH.) which have been considered as the most powerful oxidants (2.8 V) that directly or indirectly mineralise the organic pollutant into dissolved CO2, H2O and harmless end-products. However, the use of excessive chemicals, corrosion of catalyst supports, wasted UV, ozone escapes and the cost associated with AOPs often limit their application for the removal of POPs from water and wastewater treatment facilities. The principal aim of this study was to optimise a double cylindrical barrier discharge (DBD) system for the removal of low concentration persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The efficiency of the DBD system was initially confirmed by quantification of three main reactive oxygen species including ozone (O3), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals (.OH) among others. These three active species were successfully detected and quantified using indigo, per titanyl sulphate and terephthallic acid (TA) spectroscopy methods, respectively. Thereafter, the DBD reactor was optimised by assessing the effect of electrophysico-chemical parameters on the removal efficiencies of two selected pollutants including orange II sodium salt dye (O.II) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a pharmaceutical, as model persistent organic pollutants.Item Effect of calcination time on the physicochemical properties and photocatalytic performance of carbon and nitrogen co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles(MDPI, 2020) Mouele, Emile Salomon Massima; Dinu, Mihaela; Cummings, FransciousThe application of highly active nano catalysts in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) improves the production of non-selective hydroxyl radicals and co-oxidants for complete remediation of polluted water. This study focused on the synthesis and characterisation of a highly active visible light C–N-co-doped TiO2 nano catalyst that we prepared via the sol-gel method and pyrolysed at 350 ◦C for 105 min in an inert atmosphere to prevent combustion of carbon moietiesItem Spin coating immobilisation of C-N-TiO2 Co-Doped nano catalyst on glass and application for photocatalysis or as electron transporting layer for perovskite solar cells(MDPI, 2020) Mouele, Emile Salomon Massima; Ngqoloda, Siphelo; Pescetelli, SaraProducingactivethinfilmscoatedonsupportsresolvesmanyissuesofpowder-basedphoto catalysis and energy harvesting. In this study, thin films of C-N-TiO2 were prepared by dynamic spin coating of C-N-TiO2 sol-gel on glass support. The effect of spin speed and sol gel precursor to solvent volume ratio on the film thickness was investigated. The C-N-TiO2-coated glass was annealed at 350◦C at a ramping rate of 10◦C/min with a holding time of 2 hours under a continuous flow of dry N2. The C-N-TiO2 films were characterised by profilometry analysis, light microscopy (LM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The outcomes of this study proved that a spin coating technique followed by an annealing process to stabilise the layer could be used for immobilisation of the photo catalyst on glass. The exposure of C-N-TiO2 films to UV radiation induced photocatalytic decolouration of orange II (O.II) dye. The prepared C-N-TiO2 films showed a reasonable power conversion efficiency average (PCE of 9%) with respect to the reference device (15%). The study offers a feasible route for the engineering of C-N-TiO2 films applicable to wastewater remediation processes and energy harvesting in solar cell technologies.Item Water treatment using electrohydraulic discharge system(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Mouele, Emile Salomon Massima; Fatoba, O.; Petrik, LeslieIn South Africa, water pollution problems have continued to increase due to increasing anthropogenic activities. The increasing number of organic contaminants in various water sources can be attributed to industrial development, population growth and agricultural run- off. These activities have impacted negatively on the availability and accessibility to sustainable clean water resources, exposing citizens to water borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid fever; commonly reported among children. Advanced oxidation technologies such as dielectric barrier electrohydraulic discharge (EHD), also referred to as dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), have the ability to decompose persistent organics and eliminate microbes. DBD offers advantages such as efficiency, energy saving, rapid processing, use of few or no chemicals, and non-destructive impact on the ecosystem. The system is also capable of generating ozone, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals and other active species. The combination of these reactive species has been reported to degrade biological and chemical pollutants rapidly and efficiently. In this study, the DBD system was optimized by investigating the effect of physico-chemical, electrical parameters and reactor configurations on Methylene Blue (MB) decolouration efficiency. The physico-chemical parameters included MB concentration, solution pH and conductivity, solution volume, NaCl electrolyte concentration in the electrode compartment and air flow rate. As for electrical parameters, the effects of voltage, electrode type and size on MB decolouration efficiency were studied. The effect of the aforementioned parameters on MB decolouration efficiency was assessed by varying one parameter at a time. The following physico-chemical parameters: time (from 0 - 60 minutes), pH (2.5 - 10.5), solution conductivity (5 - 20 mS/cm), MB concentration (0.5 – 10 mg/L), solution volume (500 – 2000 mL), NaCl electrode electrolyte concentration (10 – 50 g/L) and air flow rate (2– 4 L/min) were varied in their respective ranges under the applied experimental conditions: reactor air gap 2 mm, solution volume 1500 mL, NaCl electrolyte concentration of 50 g/L in the electrode compartment, voltage 25 V (7.8 kV), airflow rate 3 L/min, 0.5 mm silver electrode and a running time of 60 minutes. As for electrical parameters, voltage (from 20 - 25 V), electrode type (copper, silver and stainless steel) and electrode diameter (0.5 – 1.5 mm) were also altered individually at the applied experimental conditions. The reactor air gap was varied from 2 to 6 mm. At the same experimental conditions, the free reactive species generated mainly H2O2 and O3, were detected and quantified using the Eisenberg and indigo methods, respectively. The optimum physico-chemical parameters were found to be MB concentration 5 mg/L, concentration of NaCl electrolyte used in the central compartment of the DBD reactor 50 g/L, solution pH 2.5, solution conductivity 10 mS/cm, air flow rate 3 L/min, solution volume 1500 mL and an optimum contact time of 30 minutes. The optimum electrical parameters were found to be: applied voltage 25 and 1.5 mm silver electrode. The following parameters MB concentration, solution conductivity and pH, applied voltage and reactor configuration significantly affected MB decolouration efficiency compared to parameters such as solution volume, the inlet air flow rate, electrode type and size and NaCl electrolyte concentration in the electrode compartment, which were less effective in enhancing MB decolouration. Moreover, for all DBD experiments performed at the applied experimental conditions, complete decolouration of MB was achieved in the first 30 minutes. However, trends between the optimized parameters and MB decolouration efficiency were mostly observed after 10 minutes. The optimized DBD system reduced the treatment time from 30 to 20 minutes without any chemical additives. Moreover, at 5 mg/L MB under the applied optimum conditions, it was proved that besides 99% of MB decolouration reached after 60 minutes, 53% of total organic carbon (TOC) removal was also achieved. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) characterizing MB toxicity was less than 5 mg/L before as well as after the DBD experiment. After 10 minutes of experiment under the following conditions: Applied voltage 25 V, MB concentration 5 mg/L, solution pH (in between 6.04 and 6.64), solution volume 1500 mL, air flow rate 3 L/min, 0.5 mm silver electrode and a contact time of 60 minutes, about 3.73 x 10-5 mol/L H2O2 was produced which decreased to 2.93 x 10-5 mol/L 10 minutes later, while O3 concentration was initially very low and could not be detected. However, 0.5 mol/L of O3 was detected after 20 minutes of operating time, thereafter, H2O2 concentration decreased continuously with time while that of O3 fluctuated as the treatment time increased. Likewise, the energy density for the production of free reactive species reached 0.87 g/ kWh in the first 10 minutes due to the presence of chromophoric functional groups such as =N+(CH3)2 in MB structure that had to be destroyed. Thereafter, the energy consumption decreased progressively to zero with an increase in treatment time due to the destruction of =N+(CH3)2 groups in MB structure with time. The correlation between the rise in the of H2O2 concentration and energy density after 10 minutes was probably due to dissociation of OH- OH bonds in H2O2 by UV light to yield OH radicals which unselectively may have attacked MB dye. Thus, MB decomposition in the current DBD reactor was mostly initiated by H2O2 and O3. The irradiation of H2O2 by UV light generated in the DBD system was found to accelerate dye decomposition in the first 30 minutes of the experiment. The UV-vis analysis of treated MB samples confirmed that the complete decolouration of MB achieved in the first 30 minutes was due to the destruction of the chromophoric [=N+(CH3)2] group in Methylene blue structure, while the FT-IR confirmed the presence of traces of various functional groups such as C=C, C=O, C=N, NH, NH3, NO2, etc. characteristics of carboxylic acids, amines, amides, nitrogen based compounds (salts), aliphatic and unsaturated by-products remaining in the bulk solution after treatment. The salts analysis after treatment showed that 16 mg/L of nitrates and nitrites and 1.1mg/L of sulphates mainly originating from air and MB decomposition were present in the treated samples. The EHD/DBD system used in this study offers an approach to partially treat water/wastewaters and its optimization was able to significantly enhance the decomposition of the target MB dye as indicated by the reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) from 8.3 mg/L to 3.9 mg/L. Compared to previous research, this study successfully optimised a complete double cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor at ambient condition without any chemical additives.