Mechanistic Divergence and Ozone Mass Transfer Enhancement in Photocatalytic Ozonation: A Comparative Study of Bimetallic Pd/Cu-Modified Rutile TiO2 and g-C3N4
8 affiliations
- 1Lodz University of Technology , , Zeromskiego 116 , ,
- 2Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) , , Hermann von Helmholtz Platz 1 , ,
- 3Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , , Engler-Bunte-Ring 9a , ,
- 4Lodz University of Technology , , Wolczanska 213 , ,
- 5University of Gdansk , , Wita Stwosza 63 , ,
- 6Gdansk University of Technology , , Narutowicza 11/12 , ,
- 7Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT , , Finanzmanagement Kaiserstraße 12 , ,
- 8Water Chemistry and Water Technology , , Engler-Bunte-Ring 9a , ,
Abstract
Beyond conventional removal-efficiency metrics, this investigation reveals a mechanistic divergence between two prominent photocatalysts in ozone activation. Both (Pd/Cu) bimetallic g-C3N4 and rutile TiO2 enable efficient antibiotic degradation and antibiotic resistance genes inactivation; however, they rely on fundamentally different reaction pathways. (Pd/Cu)1%C3N4 predominantly generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), including singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide radical anion (O2●–), whereas (Pd/Cu)1%TiO2 targets specific sequences like intl1 bypassing conventional ROS pathways. In addition, our research highlights a critical design trade-off and operational paradox in advanced oxidation processes: while a low bimetallic loading (0.1 wt %) optimizes the initial chemical degradation kinetics of both antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes during active treatment, a higher loading (1.0 wt %) is strictly indispensable for suppressing long-term bacterial regrowth and preventing the biological resuscitation of resistance markers during post-treatment storage. Moreover, this study challenges conventional methodological paradigms by demonstrating that diagnostic scavengers are not inert probes but reactive species that accelerate ozone (O3) depletion and alter mass-transfer behavior, potentially confounding mechanistic interpretations. In complex wastewater matrices dominated by dissolved organic matter, such competitive interactions necessitate rigorous scavenger validation to ensure reliable translation of laboratory findings to scalable purification systems.
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BibTeX
@article{gmurek2026mechanistic,
title = {{Mechanistic Divergence and Ozone Mass Transfer Enhancement in Photocatalytic Ozonation: A Comparative Study of Bimetallic Pd/Cu-Modified Rutile TiO2 and g-C3N4}},
author = {Marta Gmurek and Cong Xiaoyu and Jacek Balcerzak and Paweł Mazierski and Magdalena Miodyńska-Melzer and Tomasz Klimczuk and Adriana Zaleska-Medynska and Dominik Knozowski and Radian Popescu and Thomas Schwartz and Harald Horn},
journal = {ACS Omega},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acsomega.6c09130},
url = {https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/11/42/65801/5450555/Mechanistic-Divergence-and-Ozone-Mass-Transfer},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mechanistic Divergence and Ozone Mass Transfer Enhancement in Photocatalytic Ozonation: A Comparative Study of Bimetallic Pd/Cu-Modified Rutile TiO2 and g-C3N4
AU - Marta Gmurek
AU - Cong Xiaoyu
AU - Jacek Balcerzak
AU - Paweł Mazierski
AU - Magdalena Miodyńska-Melzer
AU - Tomasz Klimczuk
AU - Adriana Zaleska-Medynska
AU - Dominik Knozowski
AU - Radian Popescu
AU - Thomas Schwartz
AU - Harald Horn
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - ACS Omega
DO - 10.1021/acsomega.6c09130
UR - https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/11/42/65801/5450555/Mechanistic-Divergence-and-Ozone-Mass-Transfer
AB - Beyond conventional removal-efficiency metrics, this investigation reveals a mechanistic divergence between two prominent photocatalysts in ozone activation. Both (Pd/Cu) bimetallic g-C3N4 and rutile TiO2 enable efficient antibiotic degradation and antibiotic resistance genes inactivation; however, they rely on fundamentally different reaction pathways. (Pd/Cu)1%C3N4 predominantly generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), including singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide radical anion (O2●–), whereas (Pd/Cu)1%TiO2 targets specific sequences like intl1 bypassing conventional ROS pathways. In addition, our research highlights a critical design trade-off and operational paradox in advanced oxidation processes: while a low bimetallic loading (0.1 wt %) optimizes the initial chemical degradation kinetics of both antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes during active treatment, a higher loading (1.0 wt %) is strictly indispensable for suppressing long-term bacterial regrowth and preventing the biological resuscitation of resistance markers during post-treatment storage. Moreover, this study challenges conventional methodological paradigms by demonstrating that diagnostic scavengers are not inert probes but reactive species that accelerate ozone (O3) depletion and alter mass-transfer behavior, potentially confounding mechanistic interpretations. In complex wastewater matrices dominated by dissolved organic matter, such competitive interactions necessitate rigorous scavenger validation to ensure reliable translation of laboratory findings to scalable purification systems.
SN - 2470-1343
ER -