Rubber Tiles Made from Secondary Raw Materials with Immobilized Titanium Dioxide as Passive Air Protection

Abstract

The immobilization of titanium dioxide, particularly commercial TiO2 P25, on the surface of recycled rubber tiles presents a solution for achieving passive air protection. A completely new purpose for tiles was obtained by addressing air pollution and related health issues. Modified rubber tiles were prepared using a sol–gel method with three different proportions of TiO2 (2, 4, and 10 g) in the solution. The nature of TiO2 nanoparticles and their respective binding on the tile surface was determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with electron dispersion X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The SEM-EDS results showed that the most successful immobilization was achieved with the lowest amount of TiO2 in the sol–gel solution. The FTIR results confirmed a band at 950 cm−1 that was attributed to the Ti-O-Si bond. The stability and environmental impact of the treated rubber substrates were investigated by a leaching test. Photocatalytic oxidation was confirmed by the oxidation of NH3 to N2. Based on the results obtained, rubber substrates with an addition of 2 g of TiO2 have demonstrated prospects for further tests of the photocatalytic degradation of airborne pollutants.