Articles
Tamimzadeh, A.,
Dodelehband, A.,
Gordanshekan, A.,
Arabian, S.,
Farahmand, R.,
Farhadian, M.,
Solaimany nazar a.r., A.R.,
Tangestaninejad, S. Advanced Powder Technology (15685527)36(8)
Bi2WO6/TiO2/ZIF-8 photocatalytic degradation and antibacterial toxicity of degraded methylene blue were studied in this paper. The optimum mass ratio of ZIF-8 to Bi2WO6/TiO2 was determined via comprehensive investigation through photocatalytic experiments, and morphological, structural, and photoelectrochemical characterizations. Operating conditions like initial pH, photocatalyst dosage, initial pollutant concentration, and light intensity were examined. The results were modeled by artificial neural networks, and optimization of operating conditions was performed by a genetic algorithm (GA). The GA optimized a cost function expressed as the ratio of the catalyst consumed to the pollutant degraded (mg/g). This optimization computed optimum conditions as pH of 8.41, photocatalyst dosage of 0.05 g/L, dye concentration of 50 ppm, and light intensity of ∼ 580 W/m2 for 99.9 % removal efficiency at 360 min. Experimentally, 935 mg/g removal with ¬93.5 % removal efficiency was obtained. To study the toxicity of degraded solution, LC-MS analysis coupled with density functional theory and quantitative-structure activity relationship indicated that by-products became more toxic than the initial contaminant, representing the necessity of complete removal of the organic dye before releasing to the environment. Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria were determined, and the minimum inhibitory concentration was not achieved for the degraded solution. © 2025 The Society of Powder Technology Japan
Hajati, N.,
Farhadian, M.,
Solaimany nazar a.r., A.R.,
Hajiali, M. Journal of Environmental Management (10958630)392
ZnBi2O4/ZIF-67 S-scheme heterojunction (ZBO/ZIF-67) was successfully synthesized through a solvent-induced process at room temperature for the effective degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl). The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS, FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, PL, UV–Vis DRS, TGA, EIS, and photocurrent response analyses. Scavenger tests were used to investigate the photocatalytic reaction mechanism under visible light. The photocurrent response was utilized to confirm the enhanced photocatalytic performance in the heterojunction. In antibiotic degradation, the effective use of photocatalytic processes with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) is attributed to the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ZBO/ZIF-67/PMS system demonstrated greater degradation capacity compared to the ZBO/ZIF-67 system, with a reduce in reaction time, while ZIF-67 exhibited effectiveness in the Co2+/Co3+ cycle for activating PMS. The optimum operating parameters were obtained by the Central Composite Face-Centered method (CCF) as pH = 5, light intensity = 11.1 mW/cm2, the ratio of photocatalyst load to the TC-HCl concentration = 10 mgCat/mgTC-HCl, and irradiation time = 90 min. The ZBO/ZIF-67/PMS system achieved 93.4 % TC-HCl degradation in just 15 min under visible light. After 90 min of photocatalytic reaction, the ZBO/ZIF-67 system achieved a TC-HCl removal efficiency of 90.4 %, while the ZBO/ZIF-67/PMS system reached 99.6 %. The influence of PMS concentration was examined, showing that 0.5 g/L is the optimal value. The leaching of metal ions, stability, and reuse potential of the ZBO/ZIF-67/PMS system were examined, and environmental safety was confirmed by the reduction in TC-HCl toxicity, demonstrated by OD600 measurements of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enhanced plant root growth. The results revealed that the catalyst displayed excellent activity over five cycles. This study provides new insights into PMS activation using the ZBO/ZIF-67 heterojunction, potentially expanding strategies for photocatalyst-based PMS activation in degrading antibiotic pollutants in water. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd
Chemical Engineering Journal (13858947)515
Fixed-bed photocatalytic reactors with both batch and continuous flow designs were developed for the efficient treatment of oil-well produced water (OWPW). A novel three-part composite photocatalyst, MIL-101(Cr)/Fe3O4-SiO2/nano-rod-GCN, was synthesized with a high surface area (653 m2/g), a narrow visible light band gap (1.6 eV), and effective charge separation through a Z-scheme mechanism, enabling strong generation of active radicals for pollutant degradation. The photocatalytic nanoparticles were immobilized on conductive electrospun polystyrene/polyaniline fibers at various weight loadings (20, 35, 55, and 70 %). In the batch system, the fluidized three-part composite achieved a COD removal efficiency of 94.4%, while the bare polystyrene/polyaniline fibers showed only 35.7% COD adsorption under the same conditions. Immobilizing the nanoparticles onto the fibers enhanced the COD removal to 97.6%, due to the synergistic effects of hydrophobic adsorption and in-situ photocatalytic degradation. In the fixed-bed continuous flow system, under optimized conditions (solution pH 4.5, flow rate 2 mL/min, light intensity 18 W/m2, and initial COD of 700 mg/L), the stabilized photocatalyst achieved a COD removal efficiency of 92.5 %. The innovative fixed-bed continuous flow photoreactor demonstrated high and consistent performance in both adsorption and degradation, demonstrating promising applicability for real-world treatment of produced water. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Mosallanezhad, M.,
Farahmand, R.,
Solaimany nazar a.r., A.R.,
Farhadian, M.,
Karimi, H.R. Materials Science and Engineering: B (09215107)321
MIL-101-OH, a hydroxyl-functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF), was synthesized as a nanostructured adsorbent to detect and eliminate methylene blue (MB) and cefixime (CEF) from aqueous solutions. To improve its interaction with pollutants, MIL-101 was post-synthetically modified with hydroxyl group. BET analysis showed a specific surface area of 1367 m2/g, and FTIR and XRD analyses verified the structural integrity and successful functionalization. The uniform distribution of particle sizes was shown by SEM imaging. To enable detection based on changes in the refractive index, the functionalized MOF was also used as a coating material on an optical fiber sensor. CEF and MB had maximum adsorption capacities of 328 mg/g and 358 mg/g, respectively. The results demonstrate the potential of MIL-101-OH for simultaneous adsorption and optical sensing applications in water treatment. The sensor demonstrated a linear dynamic range of 0–10 mg/L with response times of 75and 32 s for CEF and MB, respectively. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Journal of Polymer Research (15728935)32(3)
Polystyrene (PS) fibers were fabricated via one-step electrospinning process, using tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as mixed solvent. The properties and structure of fibers were characterized by XRD, FTIR, DSC, FESEM, BET, and tensile strength analyses. The effect of operating parameters on the fiber structure in the electrospinning process was evaluated using the Taguchi experimental design. The production of fibers with a uniform surface, dense nanopores, and bead-free morphology can be controlled by optimizing the electrospinning conditions. For this purpose, the effects of solvent composition, solution concentration, feeding rate, and applied voltage were studied. The performance of the fibers was evaluated through adsorption and selectivity tests. The adsorption capacity of the fibers was measured using three different oil sources: sunflower oil, motor oil, and crude oil. The selectivity performance of the fibers was assessed with dispersed and dissolved crude oil in water. The results revealed that the maximum oil adsorption capacities of PS fibers for sunflower oil, motor oil, and crude oil were 58.4, 68.5, and 61.1 g/g, respectively. Furthermore, the PS fibers demonstrated excellent oil–water selectivity in the treatment of oily water. Moreover, polyaniline (PANI) was incorporated as a conductive polymer to enhance the properties of electrospun fibers. The conductive fibers exhibited improved microstructural properties and performance compared to PS fibers. The motor oil adsorption capacity increased to 71.5 g/g with the conductive PS/PANI fibers. The results of this study demonstrate that the conductive and hydrophobic PS/PANI fibers, as selective adsorbents, possess a high capacity for the adsorption of various oils. © The Polymer Society, Taipei 2025.
