US 12479742 B1Patent grantUnited States

MnO2 Photocatalyst for Organic Pollutants

Official patent title

Nanocomposites for photodegradation of contaminants

Arabic title: مركبات نانوية للتحلل الضوئي للملوثات

Invention

Problem

Persistent organic pollutants can resist conventional biological treatment. Photodegradation requires a light-responsive catalyst that operates in water without introducing more hazardous residues.

Why it matters

Sunlight-assisted treatment could reduce chemical oxidant demand and support decentralized or polishing processes for contaminated water if mineralization and catalyst safety are demonstrated.

Approach

The method irradiates contaminated water containing an organic compound with a g-C3N4/MnO2/MgAl2O4 composite in a 5–15:2–7:75–95 mass relationship at 10–80 °C.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include wastewater operators, photocatalyst developers, environmental laboratories, chemical manufacturers, and water-reuse programs.

Potential value

The material combines carbon nitride, manganese dioxide, and a spinel-rich phase, absorbs across a broad reported spectral band, and is claimed to operate under sunlight without added noble metal.

Background

Dyes, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other organic micropollutants may remain after conventional treatment. Semiconductor photocatalysts absorb light and generate reactive charge carriers that can transform these molecules. Partial disappearance is not enough to prove safe remediation because intermediates may persist or become more toxic. Evaluation must measure kinetics, total organic carbon, product identity, catalyst leaching, and activity through reuse cycles. The disclosed manganese-dioxide composite is proposed for irradiation in water, including sunlight under ambient conditions.

Technology overview

The catalyst contains g-C3N4, MnO2, and MgAl2O4 in the stated range and has a reported 16.2–20.2 m²/g BET area, 5–15 nm pores, and 0.025–0.075 cm³/g pore volume. Diffraction and XRD describe pyrolusite, spinel, MgO, Al2O3, and carbon-nitride features. UV-visible data are stated as a broad band extending beyond 800 nm with a 2.5–3.3 eV bandgap. The method claims partial photodecomposition at 10–80 °C, including sunlight exposure.

Potential applications

Photodegradation of organic water pollutants.
Sunlight-assisted wastewater polishing.
Photocatalyst material screening.
Decentralized environmental treatment research.

Evidence-supported advantages

Can use sunlight in a claimed embodiment.
Avoids added noble metals.
Uses a heterogeneous catalyst concept.
Provides structural and optical characterization ranges.
Operates across a broad claimed temperature range.

Development stage

Laboratory material and optical characterization and a claimed photodegradation method are described; compound-specific kinetics, mineralization, degradation products, catalyst leaching, and reuse were not established. The development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The catalyst may be screened for tertiary wastewater treatment. Advancement requires compound-specific degradation curves, total-organic-carbon removal, intermediate and toxicity analysis, quantum or solar efficiency, real-water interference tests, catalyst separation, manganese leaching, reuse cycles, reactor illumination and scale-up, energy and material costs, and comparison with established oxidation processes.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C02F1/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J20/02Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J27/24Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F1/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J20/0248Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/0259Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/041Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/08Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/34Chemical 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
C02F1/725Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J20/28069Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28083Chemical 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
B01J2235/15Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F2101/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2305/08Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2305/10Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
Y02W10/37Climate-change mitigation technologies related to wastewater treatment or waste management

Inventors

First inventorMohamed Khairy Abdel Fattah Omran
InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair

Keywords

photodegradation
water contaminants
manganese dioxide
graphitic carbon nitride
magnesium aluminate
sunlight
photocatalyst

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.