Issue 55, 2019

Mesoporous cerium oxide for fast degradation of aryl organophosphate flame retardant triphenyl phosphate

Abstract

Cerium oxide nanoparticles were prepared by calcination of basic cerous carbonate (as a precursor) obtained by precipitation from an aqueous solution. Prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) surface area and porosity measurement. Prepared cerium oxide was applied as a destructive sorbent for the fast and safe degradation of organophosphorus flame retardant triphenyl phosphate (TPP). It was shown that cerium dioxide was effective in the decomposition of TPP by cleavage of the P–O–aryl bond in the flame retardant molecule. A degradation mechanism for TPP on the ceria surface was proposed. The degradation is governed by conversion of TPP via diphenyl phosphate (DPP) to the final product identified as phenol (Ph). The key parameter increasing the degradation efficiency of CeO2 is the temperature of calcination. At optimum calcination temperature (500 °C), the produced ceria retains a sufficiently high surface area and attains an optimum degree of crystallinity (related to a number of crystal defects, and thus potential reactive sites). The fast and efficient degradation of organophosphorus flame retardant TPP was observed in a polar aprotic solvent (acetonitrile) that is miscible with water.

Graphical abstract: Mesoporous cerium oxide for fast degradation of aryl organophosphate flame retardant triphenyl phosphate

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Aug 2019
Accepted
01 Oct 2019
First published
08 Oct 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2019,9, 32058-32065

Mesoporous cerium oxide for fast degradation of aryl organophosphate flame retardant triphenyl phosphate

J. Ederer, M. Šťastný, M. Došek, J. Henych and P. Janoš, RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 32058 DOI: 10.1039/C9RA06575J

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