Development of Novel Solar Light-Activated Photocatalysts for Clean Energy Production and Degradation of Emerging Contaminants

Abstract

Tamer Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Khedr: “Development of Novel Solar Light-Activated Photocatalysts for Clean Energy Production and Degradation of Emerging Contaminants”. This thesis contains four chapters, 272 Pages, 39 Tables, 123 Figures, 264 References, 2022. Energy and water crisis are considered as the biggest threats to human and even every living organism worldwide. Rapid population growth and technological advances are the main reasons for these problems. Solar-light-activated heterogeneous photocatalysis (green, sustainable, and clean technology) has attracted much attention to address these problems. However, this technology is suffering from some limitations; principally fast electron-hole recombination and low solar-light absorption ability. Therefore, great efforts have been paid to the development of novel solar-light-responsive heterogeneous photocatalysis for the generation of a clean and green energy source (H2) and for removing organic pollutants from water to contribute to facing energy and water problems. This study provides green strategies for the synthesis of novel visible-light-responsive photocatalytic systems (having an effective charge separation efficiency and high visible-light harvesting ability) for enhanced photocatalytic H2-fuel generation and removal of emerging pollutants from water. This thesis is divided into four main chapters, i.e., introduction and objectives of the study, literature review, experimental and methods, and results and discussion. Chapter 1 “introduction and objectives of the study” focuses on the problem statement of the energy and water crisis, as well as the objectives and significance of this work. Energy and water crisis are the most serious threats to human life and property worldwide. Energy and water, being closely linked, are the primary sources of life on Earth. The global energy and water crisis include scarcity, depletion, increasing demand, rising cost, and increasing environmental pollution. The rapid increase in the human population, industrialization and globalization are the main causes for the global energy and water crisis, and therefore it is proposed that most of the problems and wars in the world arise from energy and water lack/or control over their sources.