Cellulose-Assisted Loading to Construct a Photocatalytic Coupled Microbial System for Pyridine Removal

Abstract

Pyridine is a typical nitrogen-containing organic compound, which is encountered in wastewaters. Due to their hazardous effects on ecosystems and human health, their removal is imperative. In this study, photocatalysis and biodegradation were combined to degrade pyridine. TiO2 was used as the photocatalyst. To help the catalysts coating, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was added to the catalyst dispersion system, and the performance of intimately coupled photocatalysis and biodegradation (ICPB) for pyridine degradation was evaluated under visible light conditions. The effects of related parameters including carrier dosage, light intensity, initial concentration, and pH on the degradation of pyridine were investigated. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of pyridine was the highest under the optimal conditions of carrier dosage of 5%, initial concentration of 50 mg/L, the light intensity of 1000 Lux, and pH of 6. Cyclic degradation is necessary, and the cycle performance of the system will provide a more sufficient reference for a system to degrade pyridine.