Avaliação dos efeitos da temperatura de calcinação do Nb2O5 na degradação de ácido acetilsalicílico via fotocatálise heterogênea

Abstract

The negative impacts of the growing population on the environment is a concern for the future of humanity. Water resources suffer from the presence of new compounds, the emerging contaminants. The effects of the presence of these compounds are still unknown and there are no methods of removal in water treatment plants. Conventional treatment is not enough to remove micropollutants, components present in pharmaceuticals, organic compounds, hormones, and others. This work aimed to study the degradation of acetylsalicylic acid, a micropollutant widely consumed by the world population. Using heterogeneous photocatalysis, we sought to identify the effectiveness and best characteristics of Nb2O5, a semiconductor very interesting and easily accessible in Brazil. In the characterization of the semiconductor were used the techniques: Xray diffraction (XRD), photoacoustic spectroscopy and B.E.T. method. Performed the tests by means of a planning of experiments and analyzed by the program Statistics 7.0, we reached a value of 46.01% degradation of ASA, using the uncalcined Nb2O5 as the best catalyst. The result was positive in view of the economic and operational feasibility, due to the semiconductor characteristic being accessible and less complex due to the absence of thermal treatment.