Iron-Oxide Photocatalyst for Water Cleanup
Official patent title
Photodegradation of contaminants via a nanocomposite
Arabic title: التحلل الضوئي للملوثات باستخدام مركب نانوي
Invention
Invention
Problem
Organic contaminants in water may persist after standard treatment. A photocatalyst must transform them efficiently while avoiding toxic intermediates, metal release, and rapid activity loss.
Why it matters
A sunlight-responsive iron-containing catalyst could support lower-chemical-demand treatment and water-reuse polishing if complete degradation and safety are verified.
Approach
The method irradiates contaminated water with a g-C3N4/Fe2O3/MgAl2O4 composite in a 5–15:2–7:75–95 mass relationship at 10–80 °C and pH 6–8 in a claimed embodiment.
Who may benefit
Potential beneficiaries include water-treatment operators, photocatalyst manufacturers, industrial wastewater programs, environmental laboratories, and water-reuse developers.
Potential value
The composite uses iron oxide, carbon nitride, and magnesium aluminate, reports a 1.5–2.9 eV bandgap range, and claims sunlight exposure without peroxide or ozone.
Background
Background
Advanced oxidation can transform persistent water pollutants, but chemical oxidants add cost and handling requirements. Semiconductor photocatalysts instead use absorbed light to generate reactive species. Iron oxide and carbon nitride may extend light response, while a spinel-rich matrix provides structure. Partial decomposition, however, does not establish detoxification or mineralization. Evidence must identify products, total-organic-carbon removal, catalyst stability, and metal leaching under representative water conditions. The disclosed composite is proposed for irradiation under near-neutral pH and potentially sunlight.
Technology overview
Technology overview
The nanocomposite contains g-C3N4, Fe2O3, and MgAl2O4 in the stated range. Reported properties include 15–45 m²/g BET area, two pore-size modes spanning 6.3–13 nm, and 0.06–0.12 cm³/g pore volume. XRD and diffraction describe spinel, MgO, Fe2O3, and carbon-nitride phases. The optical absorption band is stated to extend beyond 700 nm with a 1.5–2.9 eV bandgap. Claims cover partial photodecomposition, including sunlight, without peroxide addition.
Potential applications
Potential applications
- Photocatalytic degradation of water pollutants.
- Sunlight-assisted wastewater treatment.
- Peroxide-free oxidation research.
- Environmental catalyst screening.
Evidence-supported advantages
Evidence-supported advantages
- Uses iron oxide rather than a precious-metal active phase.
- Claims operation without peroxide or ozone.
- Has a reported broad optical-response range.
- Provides defined porosity and phase characterization.
- Targets near-neutral water conditions.
Development stage
Development stage
Laboratory material and optical characterization and a claimed irradiation method are described; pollutant-specific kinetics, mineralization, product toxicity, catalyst leaching, recovery, and reuse were not established. The development stage was not independently verified.
Commercial opportunity
Commercial opportunity
The catalyst could be evaluated for tertiary treatment or industrial effluent polishing. Required work includes target-compound kinetics, mineralization and by-product toxicity, solar quantum efficiency, real-water matrices, catalyst recovery, iron leaching, reuse and fouling, illuminated-reactor engineering, energy and materials cost, and comparison with UV/peroxide and commercial photocatalysts.
Patent classifications
Patent classifications
WIPO IPC
- C02F1/32Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F101/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
CPC
- C02F1/32Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F1/281Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F1/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F1/725Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F2101/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F2101/308Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
- C02F2209/06Treatment 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
Inventors
- First inventorMohamed Khairy Abdel Fattah Omran
- InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
Keywords
Keywords
- photodegradation
- iron oxide
- graphitic carbon nitride
- magnesium aluminate
- sunlight
- water contaminants
- photocatalyst
Patent document and drawings
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.