US 12351487 B1Patent grantUnited States

Vanadium Photocatalyst for Water Cleanup

Official patent title

Photodegradation of contaminants via nanocomposite

Arabic title: التحلل الضوئي للملوثات باستخدام مركب نانوي

Invention

Problem

Dissolved organic contaminants can remain in industrial wastewater, and existing treatment methods may be expensive, operationally complex, create secondary wastes, or lack effective degradation under usable light sources.

Why it matters

A visible-light-responsive photocatalyst could complement separation-based treatment, but complete degradation, by-product safety, catalyst stability and recovery, leaching, solar response, and real-water performance require independent evidence.

Approach

The method irradiates contaminated water containing an organic compound in the presence of a g-C3N4/V2O5/MgAl2O4 nanocomposite at 10–80 °C to produce at least partial photodegradation.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include industrial-water technology providers, photocatalyst and specialty-material manufacturers, textile and chemical processors, environmental laboratories, and researchers developing carbon-nitride/vanadium-oxide systems.

Potential value

The disclosure defines a three-phase porous photocatalyst, its mass relationship and optical characteristics, and a bounded irradiation method that can use sunlight at ambient temperature and pressure.

Background

Industrial activity releases organic and inorganic pollutants into water, while many established methods separate contaminants rather than chemically decompose them. Graphitic carbon nitride is investigated for visible-light activity and adjustable structure, but limited surface area, electron-hole recombination, and aggregation can restrict photocatalytic use. The disclosure identifies cost, environmental concerns, and complex synthesis as continuing limitations. It proposes combining carbon nitride with vanadium oxide and magnesium aluminate and irradiating that hybrid directly in contaminated water.

Technology overview

The claimed process exposes a graphitic C3N4/V2O5/MgAl2O4 nanocomposite and an organic contaminant to radiation in water at 10–80 °C. The material has a specified phase mass relationship, BET and BJH pore ranges, crystallographic spacings, and XRD signatures. One embodiment uses sunlight under ambient temperature and pressure and identifies a broad UV-visible absorption region plus a 1.5–3.0 eV bandgap. The stated process result is partial decomposition of the organic compound and partial decontamination of the water.

Potential applications

Potential sunlight-assisted degradation of organic wastewater contaminants.
Potential polishing of dye-containing process water.
Potential photocatalytic reactor-material research.
Potential visible-light hybrid-catalyst development platform.

Evidence-supported advantages

Uses a specified g-C3N4/V2O5/MgAl2O4 composition.
Includes an ambient sunlight-irradiation embodiment.
Defines UV-visible and bandgap characteristics.
Provides pore and crystal-phase characterization criteria.

Development stage

Patent publication with a described photodegradation method and material characterization; independent validation and commercialization were not established.

Commercial opportunity

The approach may support partnerships in industrial wastewater and photocatalytic materials. Development should independently measure degradation rates, mineralization, transformation products, treated-water toxicity, solar and artificial-light response, catalyst dose, separation and reuse, vanadium and other leaching, matrix interference, reactor hydrodynamics, scale-up consistency, energy use, and comparative treatment cost.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C02F1/32Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J35/64Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F101/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge

CPC

B01J35/643Chemical 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
C02F1/74Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J21/10Chemical 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
B01J21/005Chemical 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
B01J21/02Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/633Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F1/725Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F1/32Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J23/22Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/647Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F2305/10Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J2235/15Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F2101/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/308Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2209/02Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge

Inventors

First inventorMohamed Khairy Abdel Fattah Omran
InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair

Keywords

photodegradation
organic contaminants
g-C3N4
V2O5
MgAl2O4
sunlight irradiation
water decontamination
nanocomposite

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.