-: Did you know that... There are 18 deliverables to be completed by the end of the pro- ject, including: Dissemination activities A protocol on synthesis of various TiO2-RGO composite catalysts A technical report on catalyst characterisation A technical report on photo- catalytic degradation on cho- sen emerging pollutants A technical report on the design, setup and operation of a bench scale photochemi- cal reactor and a micro- filtration system pilot treat- ment unit for the recovery of the catalyst University of Cyprus NIREAS-International Water Research Center Technical University of Crete S.K Euromarket Ltd Heterogeneous semiconductor photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process which makes use of catalysts such as TiO2 to produce radicals which, in the presence of sunlight can break down organic micropollutants, to less harmful substances which do not pose a threat to humans and the environment. Despite the usefulness of the application of heterogeneous photocatalysis, it has the following drawbacks, which this project seeks to tackle by coupling the process with graphene: The abovementioned issues are addressed by PhotoGraph for the effective application of TiO2 photocatalysis for degradation of trace organic pollutants, by: Coupling TiO2 with graphene for minimizing charge carrier recombination. Employing commercially available carbon doped TiO2 catalysts which absorb in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Applying a post-treatment for the separation and recovery of TiO2, based on cross-flow microfiltration. This project will investigate the degradation of selected contaminants of emerging concern which pose risk for human health and the environment. The PhotoGraph (ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΑ/ΑΣΤΙ/0311(ΒΙΕ)/33) project is co-funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund Photocatalytic Removal of Organic Micropollutants from the Aqueous Phase using TiO 2 coupled with Graphene as a Photocatalyst ΑΕΙΦΟΡΙΑ/ΑΣΤΙ/0311(BIE)/33 PhotoGraph Newsletter March2013 The degradation of the four model compounds was examined by the University of Cyprus in distilled water under simulated solar irradiation, in laboratory conditions. Environmentally relevant concentrations of the four organic micro- pollutants are tested to see how the compounds behave at real environmental concentrations. The initial tests of photocatalytic degradation were done primarily for each catalyst and each organic compound separately, and then for the organic compounds together in mixture. Figure 3 shows the photocatalytic degradation of the anti- biotic sulfamethoxazole using 6 commercially available TiO2 catalysts. P25 Degussa was prov- en to be the most efficient one with complete removal in 60 minutes of treatment under solar irradiation. WP5 - Testing the photocatalytic efficien- cy of the TiO2 - Reduced Graphene Oxide catalysts for the degradation of emerging organic pollutants Figure 2. UV-Vis absorption spectrum of an aqueous suspen- sion of exfoliated graphene oxide. Figure 1. FT-IR spectra of graphite oxide samples The particle and surface properties of the cata- lysts regarding their reactivity using analytical and microscopic techniques such as FT-IR and UV-Vis spectrum measurements were characterised by the Technical University of Crete. The main re- sults of this WP are summarised in Figure and Figure 2 . WP4 - Characterisation of the synthesized photocatalysts and toxicity measurements Background The characterisation of samples is in progress us- ing additional characterisation techniques in order to reveal their main structural features. Figure 3. Degradation rate of sulfamethoxazole using commer- cially available catalysts. The innovative element of this project lies in the synthesis of newly developed catalysts which have not been used before and include the synthesis of TiO2-graphene composite catalysts. P25 Degussa Kronos 7000 PC 105 PC 500 UV 100 Kronos 7001