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. 2023 May 22;16(10):3882.
doi: 10.3390/ma16103882.

Construction of Bio-TiO2/Algae Complex and Synergetic Mechanism of the Acceleration of Phenol Biodegradation

Jinxin Guo  1 , Xiaoman Guo  1 , Haiyan Yang  1 , Daohong Zhang  1 , Xiaogeng Jiang  2
Affiliations

Construction of Bio-TiO2/Algae Complex and Synergetic Mechanism of the Acceleration of Phenol Biodegradation

Jinxin Guo et al. Materials (Basel). .

Abstract

Microalgae have been widely employed in water pollution treatment since they are eco-friendly and economical. However, the relatively slow treatment rate and low toxic tolerance have seriously limited their utilization in numerous conditions. In light of the problems above, a novel biosynthetic titanium dioxide (bio-TiO2 NPs)-microalgae synergetic system (Bio-TiO2/Algae complex) has been established and adopted for phenol degradation in the study. The great biocompatibility of bio-TiO2 NPs ensured the collaboration with microalgae, improving the phenol degradation rate by 2.27 times compared to that with single microalgae. Remarkably, this system increased the toxicity tolerance of microalgae, represented as promoted extracellular polymeric substances EPS secretion (5.79 times than single algae), and significantly reduced the levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase. The boosted phenol biodegradation with Bio-TiO2/Algae complex may be attributed to the synergetic interaction of bio-TiO2 NPs and microalgae, which led to the decreased bandgap, suppressed recombination rate, and accelerated electron transfer (showed as low electron transfer resistance, larger capacitance, and higher exchange current density), resulting in increased light energy utilization rate and photocatalytic rate. The results of the work provide a new understanding of the low-carbon treatment of toxic organic wastewater and lay a foundation for further remediation application.

Keywords: TiO2; biodegradation; biosynthesis; microalgae; photocatalysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) SEM image of Algae (up) and Bio-TiO2/Algae complex (down); (B) EDS analysis of Bio-TiO2/Algae before (up) and after (down) phenol degradation; (C) XRD patterns of chemical synthesized TiO2 and bio-TiO2; (D) HRTEM image of Algae; (E) HRTEM image of Bio-TiO2/Algae; (F) Enlarge of selected region and the black dots are bio-TiO2 NPs inside microalgae cell.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Phenol degradation results with Algae, Control, and Bio-TiO2/Algae systems; (B) Microalgae EPS expression of Algae and Bio-TiO2/Algae during phenol degradation; (C) Images of Algae and Bio-TiO2/Algae during phenol degradation (three replicates were performed).
Figure 3
Figure 3
MDA (A), SOD (B), ETSA (C), and ATP (D) contents of Bio-TiO2/Algae and Algae during phenol degradation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tafel (A), CV (B), and IMP (C) plots of Bio-TiO2/Algae and Algae in phenol degradation; (D) Scheme of electron transfer from TiO2 to CLP and suppression of electron-hole pair recombination.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Free radical capture results of (A) photogenerated electrons (e−), (B) photoholes (h+), (C) hydroxyl radicals (·OH), and (D) O2− in Phenol degradation with Bio-TiO2/Algae.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic diagram of the synergetic mechanism of Bio-TiO2/Algae in phenol degradation and the possible pathway of degradation process [56,57,58]. (The figure was mainly drawn by Figdraw).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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