Abstract The aim of this study was to develop powdered and granular activated carbon modified with N doped TiO2, namely PAC-TiO2N and respective, GAC-TiO2N by sol-gel method, starting from commercial activated carbon, for the removal from water of diclofenac (DCF), an emerging pollutant. The synthesized materials were characterized systematically and morphostructural, light absorption and electrical charge properties were determined. The sorption and photocatalytic capacities of both materials were determined by batch experiments based on the kinetic models and the effect of operational parameters. GAC-TiO2N was selected for further testing in fixed bed-column experiments envisaging its potential integration with real drinking water treatment technology. The GAC-TiO2N tested in UV irradiation-assisted fixed bed-column filtration for DCF removal exhibited a great potential for practical application, by testing in simulated coexisting DCF and humic acids (HAs) and real surface water spiked with DCF (Bega River, Timisoara city, Romania). About 80% removal efficiency was noticed for both DCF and HAs and about 70% of the organic matter was removed (expressed as total organic carbon- TOC indicator). UV irradiation during filtration allowed the activation of the GAC-TiO2N filtration layer without TiO2 loss, which led to longer life-times due to the potential “self-cleaning” effect and its good stability.

中文翻译：

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使用掺氮 TiO2 改性的活性炭通过光催化辅助过滤从水中去除双氯芬酸

摘要 本研究的目的是开发用 N 掺杂的 TiO2 改性的粉状和颗粒状活性炭，即 PAC-TiO2N 和各自的 GAC-TiO2N，从商业活性炭开始，通过溶胶-凝胶法去除双氯芬酸（ DCF)，一种新兴的污染物。对合成材料进行了系统表征，并确定了形态结构、光吸收和电荷特性。基于动力学模型和操作参数的影响，通过批量实验确定两种材料的吸附和光催化能力。选择 GAC-TiO2N 进行固定床柱实验的进一步测试，设想其与实际饮用水处理技术的潜在整合。通过在模拟共存的 DCF 和腐植酸 (HA) 以及掺有 DCF 的真实地表水（Bega River, Timisoara）中进行测试，在紫外线照射辅助固定床柱过滤中测试的 GAC-TiO2N 具有巨大的实际应用潜力市，罗马尼亚）。注意到 DCF 和 HA 的去除效率约为 80%，去除了约 70% 的有机物（表示为总有机碳-TOC 指标）。过滤过程中的紫外线照射允许在不损失 TiO2 的情况下激活 GAC-TiO2N 过滤层，由于潜在的“自清洁”效应及其良好的稳定性，从而延长了使用寿命。注意到 DCF 和 HA 的去除效率约为 80%，去除了约 70% 的有机物（表示为总有机碳-TOC 指标）。过滤过程中的紫外线照射允许在不损失 TiO2 的情况下激活 GAC-TiO2N 过滤层，由于潜在的“自清洁”效应及其良好的稳定性，从而延长了使用寿命。注意到 DCF 和 HA 的去除效率约为 80%，去除了约 70% 的有机物（表示为总有机碳-TOC 指标）。过滤过程中的紫外线照射允许在不损失 TiO2 的情况下激活 GAC-TiO2N 过滤层，由于潜在的“自清洁”效应及其良好的稳定性，从而延长了使用寿命。