Sulfate-driven enhancement of TiO₂ anatase photocatalysis for cationic dye degradation: mechanistic insights and degradation optimization.
- 1Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Bayero University Kano P.M.B. 3011 Kano State Nigeria [email protected].
- 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Abstract
The influence of inorganic ions in wastewater matrices on the activity and reuse of TiO₂ photocatalysts is an important consideration in photocatalytic water treatment. This study investigates the effect of sulfate ions (SO₄ ²⁻) on the photocatalytic degradation of the cationic dye methylene blue (MB) using anatase TiO₂ under different irradiation and pH conditions. Photocatalytic performance across repeated treatment cycles was evaluated using cumulative percent degradation (CPD), a parameter introduced in this study, and related to changes in the percent atomic concentration (PAC) of elements detected on the recovered TiO₂ surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under UV irradiation, SO₄ ²⁻-containing systems exhibited the highest CPD values, reaching 248.10% at pH 4 (TMB4) and 294.23% at pH 10 (TMB8), indicating enhanced cumulative MB degradation in the presence of sulfate under these conditions. Surface characterization revealed changes in the carbon-, nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-containing species associated with the TiO₂ surface following photocatalytic treatment. Carbon-containing surface species increased in the recovered samples and were associated with changes in photocatalytic performance. XPS analysis indicated that sulfur detected on irradiated sulfate-containing samples was attributable to surface-bound sulfate-derived species, with no evidence supporting the formation of discrete molecular sulfur species. Overall, the results demonstrate that SO₄ ²⁻, particularly in combination with UV irradiation, can enhance the cumulative photocatalytic degradation of MB while influencing the surface chemistry of anatase TiO₂. The findings provide further insight into the relationship between wastewater ionic composition, photocatalytic performance, and surface transformations associated with the repeated application of TiO₂ photocatalysts.
Related
- Integrated Photocatalytic and Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes Over CuV 2 O 6 : Mechanistic Insights and RSM‐Based Optimization
- Overlooked Roles of Oxygen in PFAS Degradation by UV/Sulfite: Mechanistic Insights and Engineering Implications
- Integrated Electro/Fe3+/Peroxydisulfate Treatment for Sulfamethazine Degradation and Biodegradability Enhancement
- A 2D/2D g-C3N4/BiOBr S-Scheme Heterojunction for Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Benzylamine and Degradation of Tetracycline: Enhanced Charge Separation and Mechanistic Insights
- 3D Printing Polylactic Acid Porous Scaffolds for Bone Repair: Microstructure Optimization, In Vitro Degradation Behavior, and Cell Proliferation Performance
BibTeX
@article{farouk2026sulfatedriven,
title = {{Sulfate-driven enhancement of TiO₂ anatase photocatalysis for cationic dye degradation: mechanistic insights and degradation optimization.}},
author = {Hamisu Umar Farouk and Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman and Wan Mohd Ashri Wan Daud},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra02604d},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42852249},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sulfate-driven enhancement of TiO₂ anatase photocatalysis for cationic dye degradation: mechanistic insights and degradation optimization.
AU - Hamisu Umar Farouk
AU - Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman
AU - Wan Mohd Ashri Wan Daud
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra02604d
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42852249
AB - The influence of inorganic ions in wastewater matrices on the activity and reuse of TiO₂ photocatalysts is an important consideration in photocatalytic water treatment. This study investigates the effect of sulfate ions (SO₄ ²⁻) on the photocatalytic degradation of the cationic dye methylene blue (MB) using anatase TiO₂ under different irradiation and pH conditions. Photocatalytic performance across repeated treatment cycles was evaluated using cumulative percent degradation (CPD), a parameter introduced in this study, and related to changes in the percent atomic concentration (PAC) of elements detected on the recovered TiO₂ surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under UV irradiation, SO₄ ²⁻-containing systems exhibited the highest CPD values, reaching 248.10% at pH 4 (TMB4) and 294.23% at pH 10 (TMB8), indicating enhanced cumulative MB degradation in the presence of sulfate under these conditions. Surface characterization revealed changes in the carbon-, nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-containing species associated with the TiO₂ surface following photocatalytic treatment. Carbon-containing surface species increased in the recovered samples and were associated with changes in photocatalytic performance. XPS analysis indicated that sulfur detected on irradiated sulfate-containing samples was attributable to surface-bound sulfate-derived species, with no evidence supporting the formation of discrete molecular sulfur species. Overall, the results demonstrate that SO₄ ²⁻, particularly in combination with UV irradiation, can enhance the cumulative photocatalytic degradation of MB while influencing the surface chemistry of anatase TiO₂. The findings provide further insight into the relationship between wastewater ionic composition, photocatalytic performance, and surface transformations associated with the repeated application of TiO₂ photocatalysts.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -