Removal of nitrate and simultaneous hydrogen generation through photocatalytic reforming of glycerol over “in situ” prepared zero-valent nano copper/P25

tThe photocatalytic reduction of nitrate to nitrogen and the simultaneous production of hydrogen wasinvestigated over copper loaded titania (P25) nanoparticles using glycerol as sacrificial agent and UV-A/Vis radiation. The experiments demonstrated that total nitrogen (i.e., nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia)removal efficiencies over 93% were achieved for initial nitrate concentrations up to 150 mg/l. A parallelhydrogen production up to 14 M was recorded. Hydrogen generation was affected by nitrate reduction.The reaction rates were dependent on pH and both glycerol and nitrate starting concentrations in themixture. However, a linear model can be used to describe the process for low concentration of nitrate andconstant pH. The system showed a remarkable photoefficiency in decontamination of nitrate-containingsolutions and concomitant hydrogen evolution. This study lays the foundation for the future developmentof numerical models able to predict the chemical behavior of simultaneous proton and nitrate reductionover solar photocatalytic reforming of organics.