Ajeet A. Yelwande

Photodegradation of Molasses by a MoO3-TiO2 Nanocrystalline Composite Material

A MoO3-TiO2 nanocrystalline composite material was prepared by a simple sol-gel method. The synthesized material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with an electron dispersion spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Melanoidin is a dark brown pigment found in wastewater from the sugar industry and it pollutes water. This polluted water is generally referred to as molasses and it undergoes fermentation and is solely responsible for water, soil, and air pollution. The synthesized catalytic material was found to be effective in degrading molasses under UV-visible radiation. Analysis of treated and untreated molasses was carried out by measuring its color, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, pH, and total dissolved solid. Results from these analyses indicate the effective photodegradation of the molasses. This methodology has several advantages such as high photocatalytic activity, non-toxicity, cleanliness, and reusability of the catalytic material.

Synthesis and Characterizations of Carbon Doped MoO3-TiO2 Nanocrystalline Composite Materials

The series of carbon doped MoO3-TiO2 nanocrystalline composite material was prepared by using simple sol-gel method. The carbon material used was obtained from natural sources as Acacia Arabica plant. The synthesized materials were characterized by various sophisticated techniques. The crystalline nature of composite material was increased with addition of carbon. The 3 wt% carbon doped MoO3-TiO2 material has particle size in around 9–12 nm. This material absorbed light in more visible region at 457 nm and has band gap 2.71 eV. Thus material may be use as catalyst for photodegradation of pollutant.