Carbamazepine degradation with TiO2 EPD-coated over 3D Nickel foam in a photocatalytic flow reactor

Photocatalytic Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are effective in degrading emerging and persistent pollutants in water. However, heterogeneous photocatalysis is often limited by particle aggregation, reusability challenges, post-separation difficulties, and limited scalability. In this study, a highly porous commercial 3D Nickel (Ni) foam was self-coated using commercial TiO2 (TiO2-Ni) via a facile Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) approach. The resulting TiO2-Ni composite membrane was evaluated as a photocatalytic substrate for water treatment applications under flow-through conditions in recirculation mode. Additionally, the TiO2-Ni was assessed under a range of parameters, including coating thickness, pH levels, wavelengths, flow rates, incident irradiance, and the applicability of the time-dose reciprocity law, enabling optimal conditions for the removal of Carbamazepine (CBZ). Under optimized conditions, within 2 h of recirculation time (corresponding to ∼ 3 min net photocatalytic reaction time), 80% of 1 ppm CBZ feed was removed under pH 7 and a flow rate of 6 Liters Per Hour (LPH), achieving a maximum degradation rate of 787 nmol⋅L-1⋅m-1⋅s-1. The efficient degradation of CBZ was primarily attributed to HO· radicals generated through LED (Light Emitting Diodes)-driven TiO2-Ni photocatalysis. TiO2-Ni foams present a feasible, practical, scalable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective solution for photocatalysis.