Visible Light-driven Ordered Mesoporous TIO2 And Its TCPP- Functionalised Photocatalyst For Complete Mineralization Of Pharmaceutical Contaminants In Water

Technology category: Micro & Nano Technologies

Industry: Water treatment, pollution control

Applications: Pharma effluent treatment

Market: Pharmaceutical Waste Management Market Size can be USD 5.6 billion in 2025

There is growing concern over pharmaceutical and organic pollutants, such as famotidine (FAM) and its by-products, in surface and groundwater, which can negatively impact human health, wildlife, and ecosystems.
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) often fail to fully remove these contaminants, allowing them to enter water bodies and potentially drinking water. As a result, there is a significant push to enhance water treatment technologies, including the development of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs).
Semiconductor photocatalysts like titanium dioxide (TiO2) have shown potential for sustainable water treatment due to their low cost, stability, and non-toxicity. However, TiO2’s reliance on UV light activation, due to its large energy band gap, limits its efficiency, particularly in using visible or solar light.
Although TiO2 photocatalysis has been studied for pharmaceutical pollutant degradation, it often results in only partial removal. Furthermore, the intermediates formed during degradation may also be harmful, presenting an additional challenge.
Therefore, there is a need to develop methods for the complete mineralization of FAM and its intermediates to ensure effective water purification.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an efficient and sustainable visible light active TCPP/OMT photocatalyst(s) for the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical/organic pollutant(s)
The present invention relates to a process for photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical/organic pollutants such as famotidine or its intermediates, secondary pollutants.
This process is by visible light and/or UV-visible light in the presence of tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin functionalized ordered mesoporous titania (TCPP/OMT) photocatalyst(s).
The light driven TCPP/OMT photocatalyst degrades and mineralize the pharmaceutical/organic pollutant(s).

TCPP/OMT nanocomposites outperform conventional photocatalysts like P-25, achieving 100% degradation of famotidine (FAM) under similar conditions, showing better efficacy.
Unlike traditional photocatalysts, TCPP/OMT composites are effective against a wide range of pharmaceutical pollutants, ideal for addressing waterborne pharmaceutical contamination.
The TCPP/OMT nanocomposites feature a high surface area and mesoporous structure, enhancing adsorption and interaction with pollutants for more efficient photocatalysis.
The preparation method for TCPP-functionalized OMT nanocomposites is simple, scalable, and cost-efficient, using readily available reagents and solvents for mass production.
TCPP/OMT nanocomposites not only degrade primary pollutants but also mineralize secondary intermediates completely, resulting in non-toxic, environmentally safe by-products.

Prof. Parasuraman Selvam

Department of Chemistry

TRL-3

Experimental Proof of concept

Technology Transfer