Degradation of atrazine with titanium dioxide immobilised in compact recycled glass

This research studied the feasibility of a porous glass/titanium dioxide (TiO₂) composite for the photocatalytic degradation of atrazine under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The composite was obtained by immobilising titanium dioxide nanoparticles (in anatase form) over a sintered glass substrate through physical processes requiring high-temperature post-treatments for effective attachment. The initial deposition of the nanoparticles was attained by gravitational decanting from titanium dioxide suspensions evaluated in two different solvents: ethanol and acetic acid. The highest amount of titanium dioxide immobilised over the glass substrate occurred at 900°C for 2 h with no polymorphic structural change in the nanoparticles as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Treatability studies of atrazine solutions demonstrated a 95% reduction in atrazine levels after being in contact with the glass/titanium dioxide composite under UV light for 6 h. Also, the experimental results demonstrate possible exhaustion of the glass/titanium dioxide composite after 36 h of continuous treatment.