Bisphenol A Removal through Low-Cost Kaolin-Based Ag@TiO2 Photocatalytic Hollow Fiber Membrane from the Liquid Media under Visible Light Irradiation

Abstract

Removal of bisphenol A (BPA) from water has presented a major challenge for the water industry. In this work, we report the BPA separation properties of truly low-cost kaolin-based visible light-activated photocatalytic hollow fiber membranes. The ceramic hollow fiber support was successfully fabricated by phase inversion and sintering method, whereas Ag@TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by liquid impregnation method. Different factors that affected the BPA removal were thoroughly investigated, including Ag loading in TiO2 catalyst and immersion time during dip coating method. A reference BPA (10 mgl-1) was used to check the photocatalytic performance of Ag@TiO2 photocatalysts and prepared membranes. Comprehensive characterization including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX/S), Brunner-Emmer-Teller (BET), and UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed altered morphological and physicochemical properties of the photocatalytic membrane. UV-Vis results exhibited that the extended absorption edge of Ag@TiO2 photocatalyst was observed into the visible region that led to its maximum BPA removal of 93.22% within 180 min under visible light irradiation. The FESEM images of the prepared membranes evinced a significant change in the structural morphologies, and UV-Vis showed the absorption edge in the visible region owing to the coating of the Ag@TiO2 photocatalyst on the surface of the membrane. The resultant membrane showed a significant photocatalytic performance in the degradation of BPA (90.51% within 180 min) in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. At inference, the prepared membrane can be considered a promising candidate for efficient removal of BPA.