Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Contaminants with N-Doped TiO2 Using Simulated Sunlight in Real Water Matrices

In the present work, the photodegradation performances of N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts with enhanced absorption of visible light were exploited for the abatement of some representative contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Pristine TiO2 and N-TiO2 were synthesized using hydrothermal (HT) and sol-gel (SG) routes, they were characterized using XRD and UV-Vis spectroscopy, and their band gaps were determined via analysis in diffuse reflectance. Their photodegradation efficiency was tested on a mixture of recalcitrant organic pollutants, namely, benzotriazole, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, and bisphenol A, using a solar simulator lamp with two different cut-off filters (lambda > 340 nm and lambda > 400 nm). The evaluation of the photocatalytic performances was initially carried out in spiked ultrapure water and subsequently in aqueous matrices of increasing complexity such as Po River water and water coming from an aquaculture plant. The exclusive utilization of visible light (lambda > 400 nm) highlighted the advantage of introducing the dopant into the TiO2 photocatalyst since this modification allows for the material to be responsive to visible light, which is not sufficient in the case of pristine TiO2 and the higher efficiency of materials obtained via the sol-gel route. Thanks to the doping, improved performance was obtained in both ultrapure water and real water matrices, indicating the potential of the doped material for future applications in the field.