Preparation and photocatalytic activity of fly ash incorporated TiO₂ nanofibers for effective removal of organic pollutants

Materials with photocatalytic and adsorption property, and antibacterial activity have been widely used in waste water treatment. Taking advantages of TiO₂ as a well known photocatalyst and antibacterial material, and fly-ash (FA) as an adsorbent, fly ash doped TiO₂ nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning process for the removal of organic pollutant and microorganism from water. Calcination of electrospun nanofiber mats composed of titanium tetraisopropoxide, poly(vinylpyrrolidine), and fly ash in air at 600 °C led to produce good morphology FA/TiO₂ nanofiber. Several analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to characterize the resulting FA/TiO₂ nanocomosites. Assynthesized nanofiber revealed a distinct performance in adsorption and photocatalytic activity for decomposition of methylene blue, and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli due to combined effect of TiO₂ and fly ash. Results indicated that as-synthesized composite nanofibers exhibit great potential for water purification.