1. JCCT
  2. All Volumes and Issues
  3. Volume 17, Number 3, 2023
  4. Photocatalytic Degradation of Polyethylene Plastics Using MgAl2O4 Nanoparticles Prepared by Solid State Method

Photocatalytic Degradation of Polyethylene Plastics Using MgAl2O4 Nanoparticles Prepared by Solid State Method

JCCT.
2023;
Volume 17, Number 3
: pp. 503 - 509
https://doi.org/10.23939/chcht17.03.503
Authors:
  1. Sajda .S. Affat
  2. Saad Shahad Mohammed
1
Department of chemistry, College of Science, University of Thi-Qar
2
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Thi-Qar

In this study, MgAl2O4 nanoparticles with different calcination times were synthesized for photocatalytic applications. Different analyses techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDX, UV-visible, and FTIR were performed to investigate the structural, chemical, optical, and mor-phological properties of the synthesized nanoparticles. XRD analysis revealed the formation MgAl2O4 spinel structure. UV-Visible measurements indicate that MgAl2O4-2 nanoparticles had a narrower energy gap compared to MgAl2O4-1 and MgAl2O4-3. Results of SEM analysis revealed that the synthesized MgAl2O4 nanoparticles consist of small aggregated particles with (40-60 nm) particles size. EDX measurements con-firmed the formation of MgAl2O4 nanoparticles without any impurities. The photocatalytic performance was evaluated by the photodegradation of polyethylene plastics using MgAl2O4 nanoparticles under UV irradiation. The FT-IR measurements before and after the degradation of polyethylene plastics confirm the formation of new functional groups as a result of photodegradation processes.

nanoparticles
polyethylene
XRD
MgAl2O4
degradation
  1. Plastics Europe, 2020. Plastics – the Facts 2020: An Analysis of European Plastics Production, Demand and Waste Data Brussels, Belgium.
  2. Thompson, R.C.; Swan, S.H.; Moore, C.J.; vom Saal, F.S. Our Plastic Age. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 2009, 364, 1973-1976. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2009.0054
  3. Wang, J.; Tan, Z.; Peng, J.; Qiu, Q.; Li, M. The Behaviors of Microplastics in the Marine Environment. Mar. Environ. Res. 2016, 113, 7-17.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.10.014
  4. Singh, B.; Sharma, N. Mechanistic Implications of Plastic De-gradation. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 2008, 93, 561-584.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2007.11.008
  5. Mueller, R.-J. Biological Degradation of Synthetic Polyesters—Enzymes as Potential Catalysts for Polyester Recycling. Process Biochem. 2006, 41, 2124-2128.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2006.05.018
  6. Shimao, M. Biodegradation of Plastics. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2001, 12, 242-247.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-1669(00)00206-8
  7. Miranda-García, N.; Suárez, S.; Sánchez, B.; Coronado, M.; Malato, S.; Maldonado, I. Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Contaminants in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents Using Immobilized TiO2 in a Solar Pilot Plant. Appl. Catal. B 2011, 103, 294-301.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2011.01.030
  8. Song, Y.K.; Hong, S.H.; Jang, M.; Han, G.M.; Jung, S.W.; Shim, W.J. Combined Effects of UV Exposure Duration and Me-chanical Abrasion on Microplastic Fragmentation by Polymer Type. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, 51, 4368-4376.‏ https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b06155
  9. Hämer, J.; Gutow, L.; Köhler, A.; Saborowski, R. Fate of Mi-croplastics in the Marine Isopod Idotea emarginata. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48, 13451-13458.‏ https://doi.org/10.1021/es501385y
  10. Zhu, K.; Jia, H.; Zhao, S.; Xia, T.; Guo, X.; Wang, T.; Zhu, L. Formation of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals on Micro-plastics under Light Irradiation. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, 53, 8177-8186.‏ https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01474
  11. Gigault, J.; Pedrono, B.; Maxit, B.; Ter Halle, A. Marine Plastic Litter: The Unanalyzed Nano-Fraction. Environ. Sci. Nano 2016, 3, 346-350. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6EN00008H
  12.  AL-Zamili, F.; Abass, A.; Najim, A. Effect of Some Organic Fillers on the Mechanical Properties of High Density Polyethylene. J.Thi-Qar Sci. 2009, 1, 27-34.‏
  13. Hammed, M.; Hamad, T. Study Of TiO2 Nanoparticles Induc-tion for Biological System. Thi-Qar Medical Journal 2019, 17, 110-117.‏
  14. Paço, A.; Duarte, K.; da Costa, J.P.; Santos, P.S.M.; Pereira, R.; Pereira,M.E.; Freitas, A.C.; Duarte, A.C.; Rocha-Santos, T.A.P. Biodegradation of Polyethylene Microplastics by the Marine Fungus Zalerion Maritimum. Sci. Total Environ. 2017, 586, 10-15.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.017
  15. Ariza-Tarazona, M.C.; Villarreal-Chiu, J.F.; Hernández-López, J.M.; de la Rosa, J.R.; Barbieri, V.; Siligardi, C.; Cedillo-González, E.I. Microplastic Pollution Reduction by a Carbon and Nitrogen-Doped TiO2: Effect of pH and Temperature in the Photocatalytic Degradation Process. J. Hazard. Mater. 2020, 395, 122632.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122632
  16. Ariza-Tarazona, M.C.; Villarreal-Chiu, J.F.; Barbieri, V.; Siligardi, C.; Cedillo-González, E.I. New Strategy for Microplastic Degradation: Green Photocatalysis Using a Protein-Based Porous N-TiO2 Semiconductor. Ceram. Int. 2019, 45, 9618-9624.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2018.10.208
  17. Kulkarni, M.; Thakur, P. The Effect of UV/TiO2/H2O2 Process and Influence of Operational Parameters on Photocatalytic Degrada-tion of Azo Dye in Aqueous TiO2 Suspension. Chem. Chem. Tech-nol. 2010, 4, 265-270. https://doi.org/10.23939/chcht04.04.265
  18. Nikolenko, A.; Melnykov, B. Photocatalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde Vapour Using Amorphous Titanium Dioxide. Chem. Chem. Technol. 2010, 4, 311-315. https://doi.org/10.23939/chcht04.04.311
  19. Coronel, S.; Pauker, Ch.S.; Jentzsch, P.V.; de la Torre, E.; Endara, D.; Muñoz-Bisesti, F. Titanium Dioxide/Copper/Carbon Composites for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenol. Chem. Chem. Technol. 2020, 14, 161-168. https://doi.org/10.23939/chcht14.02.161
  20. Ali, S.S.; Qazi, I.A.; Arshad, M.; Khan, Z.; Voice, T.C.; Meh-mood, Ch.T. Photocatalytic Degradation of Low Density Polyethy-lene (LDPE) Films Using Titania Nanotubes. Environ. Nanotechnol. Monit. Manag. 2016, 5, 44-53.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2016.01.001
  21. Tofa, T.S.; Ye, F.; Kunjali, K.L.; Dutta, J. Enhanced Visible Light Photodegradation of Microplastic Fragments with Plasmonic Platinum/Zinc Oxide Nanorod Photocatalysts. Catalysts 2019, 9, 819.‏ https://doi.org/10.3390/catal9100819
  22. Tofa, T.S.; Kunjali, K.L.; Paul, S.; Dutta, J. Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Microplastic Residues with Zinc Oxide Nanorods. Environ Chem Lett 2019, 17, 1341-1346.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-019-00859-z
  23. Gardette, M.; Perthue, A.; Gardette, J.-L.; Janecska, T.; Földes, E.; Pukánszky, B.; Therias, S. Photo- and Thermal-Oxidation of Polyethylene: Comparison of Mechanisms and Influence of Unsaturation Content. Polym. Degrad. Stab. 2013, 98, 2383-2390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2013.07.017
  24. Dinda, B. Essentials of pericyclic and photochemical reactions. Vol. 93; Springer: Switzerland, 2017.
  25. Shang, J.; Chai, M.; Zhu, Y. Photocatalytic Degradation of Polystyrene Plastic under Fluorescent Light. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2003, 37, 4494-4499.‏ https://doi.org/10.1021/es0209464