US 12179181 B1Patent grantUnited States

Supported Mixed-Oxide Photocatalyst

Official patent title

Activated supported Bi2O3/TiO2 catalysts

Arabic title: محفزات Bi2O3/TiO2 منشّطة ومدعومة

Invention

Problem

Bi2O3/TiO2 photocatalysts can be constrained by charge recombination and limited visible-light utilization, creating a need for supported, compositionally integrated catalyst designs.

Why it matters

Improved control over particle support, light response, and charge transfer could broaden research options for photocatalytic treatment and light-driven chemical conversion.

Approach

The method produces organoselenium-functionalized palm biochar and adds a solution containing Au-doped Bi2O3/TiO2 particles so that the oxide particles are immobilized on the carbon support.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include catalyst producers, photocatalysis and water-treatment researchers, advanced-coating developers, solar-chemistry groups, and biomass-conversion partners.

Potential value

The claims emphasize a supported catalyst assembly and a defined order of mixing that fixes Au-doped Bi2O3/TiO2 onto organoselenium-functionalized biochar.

Background

Bi2O3 and TiO2 each offer useful photocatalytic properties, but Bi2O3 can exhibit rapid electron–hole recombination and TiO2 relies mainly on ultraviolet absorption. Gold can assist charge separation, while organoselenium compounds provide redox-active chemistry. Biochar supplies a carbon-rich support that can increase available surface and hold catalyst particles. The patent brings these components together in an activated supported architecture, with an intended response under UV and visible light. The assigned evidence describes the design and manufacture but does not independently establish comparative field performance.

Technology overview

Palm waste is phosphoric-acid treated, carbonized under inert gas, and chlorinated before reaction with a diselenide-derived organoselenium compound. Bi2O3/TiO2 particles are gold-doped using aqueous HAuCl4 and calcination. The claim then dissolves the Au-doped particles in an organic or aqueous solvent before adding that solution to the functionalized biochar. The resulting supported catalyst can form an active layer, optionally with a binder, in particles having a claimed surface area of 10–70 m2/g and average size below 25 nm.

Potential applications

Potential use in supported photocatalyst particles for water-treatment research.
Potential use in light-responsive coatings and reactor surfaces.
Potential use in visible-light and solar-chemistry development programs.
Potential use as a research platform for comparing hybrid catalyst architectures.

Evidence-supported advantages

Specifies the order used to load Au-doped oxide particles onto functionalized biochar.
Combines light-active oxides, gold, organoselenium chemistry, and a carbon support.
Uses palm waste as the feedstock for the supporting biochar.
Provides defined thermal-processing, particle-size, and surface-area ranges.

Development stage

Patent publication describing supported-composite fabrication and material parameters; commercialization and independent photocatalytic-performance validation were not established.

Commercial opportunity

The supported-catalyst claims may be relevant to licensing discussions with photocatalyst, coating, or water-treatment developers. Before product selection, partners would need reproducibility and scale-up data, comparative activity, leaching and recovery studies, selenium and gold cost analysis, lifecycle assessment, and safety testing for the intended operating environment.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

B01J27/057Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J21/06Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J37/0009Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J21/063Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/613Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/19Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/18Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/39Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/45Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J27/0573Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/24Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/30Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/505Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

Inventors

First inventorTarek Ahmed Yousef
InventorHanan A. Althikrallah
InventorSaad Shaaban

Keywords

supported catalyst
Bi2O3
TiO2
gold nanoparticles
organoselenium
biochar
photocatalysis
palm waste

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.