US 12611653 B1Patent grantUnited States

Calcium-Molybdate Photocatalyst for Water Cleanup

Official patent title

Nanocomposite for degrading organic contaminants

Arabic title: مركب نانوي لتحليل الملوثات العضوية

Invention

Problem

Persistent organic contaminants in wastewater can resist conventional treatment, while photocatalysts may suffer limited visible-light absorption, inefficient charge separation, and poor stability.

Why it matters

A porous, light-responsive composite could support pollutant-degradation research, but contaminant-specific kinetics, mineralization, byproduct toxicity, molybdenum and particle release, recovery, reuse, and realistic-water performance require independent verification.

Approach

The method contacts contaminated water with a CaMoO4/CaSiO3/C3N4 particulate crystalline nanocomposite and irradiates the mixture to degrade organic contaminants on the material.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include wastewater-treatment researchers, photocatalyst developers, environmental laboratories, industrial-effluent teams, and materials manufacturers studying calcium-molybdate/carbon-nitride composites.

Potential value

The disclosure combines three crystalline phases, mesoporous nanosheets, spherical oxide particles, specified pore and optical properties, and a defined irradiation treatment method.

Background

Industrial wastewater can contain organic and inorganic contaminants that threaten surface water, groundwater, and aquatic systems. Membrane filtration, ion exchange, coagulation, precipitation, reverse osmosis, and adsorption can remove pollutants but may generate secondary waste or perform poorly against persistent compounds. Photocatalysis uses light-generated electron-hole pairs to drive surface redox reactions, yet continuous illumination is needed and many materials have limited visible-light absorption, charge separation, or stability. The publication proposes a multicomponent calcium-molybdate, calcium-silicate, and carbon-nitride composite to address these material constraints.

Technology overview

The claimed method uses a particulate material containing tetragonal CaMoO4, CaSiO3, and graphitic C3N4 with mesoporous nanosheets. It contacts an aqueous contaminant mixture and applies radiation from about 100 to about 800 nm. Dependent claims specify substantially spherical CaMoO4 and CaSiO3 particles averaging about 5 to about 20 nm, at least 80 wt. % mesoporous C3N4 in one embodiment, pore and surface-area ranges, a 2.8 to 3.2 eV band gap, preparation steps, contact time, and material loading.

Potential applications

Potential photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants in water.
Screening against dyes, phenols, and polyaromatic pollutants.
Development of light-assisted industrial-effluent treatment media.
Research on calcium-molybdate/carbon-nitride photocatalytic interfaces.

Evidence-supported advantages

Combines three crystalline components in one particulate photocatalyst.
Uses mesoporous C3N4 nanosheets with spherical oxide particles.
Defines optical, pore, surface-area, and particle-size ranges.
Provides both preparation and irradiation-treatment parameters.

Development stage

The patent publication specifies material preparation and treatment parameters; contaminant-degradation performance and commercialization were not established, and development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The method could support photocatalyst licensing, treatment-media development, or collaborative wastewater pilots. Commercial evaluation should establish degradation and mineralization for target contaminants, byproducts, illumination energy, hydraulic operation, catalyst recovery and reuse, molybdenum and particle release, durability, mixed-effluent performance, and lifecycle cost.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

B01J23/28Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J23/02Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J23/28Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F1/32Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J23/02Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J27/24Chemical 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
B01J35/51Chemical 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
B01J35/615Chemical 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
B01J35/635Chemical 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
B01J35/67Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J35/70Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/031Chemical 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
B01J37/08Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/082Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J37/343Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
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
C02F2101/327Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/345Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/366Treatment 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

photocatalysis
CaMoO4
CaSiO3
C3N4
organic contaminants
wastewater
mesoporous nanosheets
visible light

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.