Abstract
In this study, a novel clay membrane coated with carbon-copper co-doped titanium oxide (C-Cu-TiO2) nanoparticles was synthesized via sol-gel method. The membrane was evaluated in terms of purification of polluted seawater under illumination of UV and real sunlight by measuring some characteristic physical and chemical parameters such as, conductivity, salinity, nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), ammonium (NH4+), chloride (Cl-), phosphate (PO43-), sulfate (SO42-), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), total nitrogen (TN), and total organic carbon (TOC). Compared with pure TiO2/clay, the C-Cu-TiO2/clay membrane exhibited an excellent photocatalytic performance. The removal efficiency has been increased remarkably from 64.91% to 93.22% for TOC and from 36.92% to 68.94% for TN, when C-Cu-TiO2/clay membrane was used, revealing its feasibility for the purification process. Moreover, the stability and potentiality of C-Cu-TiO2/clay membrane for continuous reuse have been successfully demonstrated.