Ti(IV) TUNGSTOMOLYBDATE CATION EXCHANGER: APPLICATIONS TO BINARY SEPARATION OF HEAVY METALS, PHOTOCATALYSIS, AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES

Abstract

α, binary separations have been carried out for four sets of metal ions: Pb(II)−Ni(II), Pb(II)−Cu(II), Cr(III)−Ni(II) and Cr(III)−Cu(II). Photocatalytic activities and antimicrobial activities of nano-titanium(IV) tungstomolybdate were evaluated using Methylene blue as a model organic pollutant and Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as test microbes respectively. The effect of pH, initial dye concentration, catalyst load and scavengers on the active sites were evaluated using photocatalytic degradation of TTM with optimum mixing volume ratio of 2:1:2:3 indicating the highest value of IEC (i.e. 1.34 meq.g-1). At the optimum pH = 8, degradation efficiency is 60 %, for optimum initial dye concentration 10ppm, extent to 57.14 % and for optimum catalst load 0.1g, extent to 57.14 %. Effect of scavengers also assure an important species in the degradation process would be (•O2 - ) hole (h+) and hydroxyl radical (•OH). The sequence of antibacterial efficiency of nano-Ti(IV) tungstomolybdate exchanger for both Gram negative and Gram-positive bacteria was found to be 150 µg/mL > 100 µg/mL > 50µg/mL. The antibacterial activities of the exchenger is relatively low as compared to the reference drug, Chloramphnicol.