Dual function of ultra-laminated hydrotalcite in environmental remediation: Adsorption of water contaminant BP-4 and reutilization of the adsorption product for photocatalytic NOx air decontamination

Abstract

UV filters are a class of emerging water pollutants used in cosmetics to protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation. This work appraises the uptake of benzophenone-4 (BP-4), widely used and highly soluble sunscreen agent, by its adsorption on hydrotalcite based compounds. The studied adsorbents were hydrotalcite Mg3Al-CO3 (HT), ultra-laminated hydrotalcite (UHT) prepared by “Aqueous Miscible Organic Solvent Treatment” and their calcined products (HT500 and UHT500, respectively). Adsorbents were characterised by different techniques such as XRD, TEM, FT-IR, BET, XRF and TGA. The most remarkable feature was the enhancement in the specific surface area (SSA) of the ultra-laminated hydrotalcite samples, UHT and UHT500 with values of 212 m2·g─1 and 247 m2·g─1, respectively. Adsorption capacities decreased from very high for UHT500 to low values for HT in order UHT500 > HT500 > UHT > HT. The results showed that not only the SSA values were relevant for adsorbing BP-4, but also other factors such as anionic exchange capacity (AEC) and surface charge. In addition, the adsorption product (UHT-BP4) was evaluated as a photocatalyst for air purification, exhibiting good efficiency for the removal of atmospheric pollutants such as NOx gases.