Enhanced removal of bisphenols using immobilized TiO▫$_{2}$▫ in photocatalytically assisted hydrodynamic cavitation

Šuligoj, Andraž (author), Zupanc, Mojca (author), Gostiša, Jurij (author), Hrovat, Pia (author), Heath, Ester (author), Novak Tušar, Nataša (author), Lavrenčič Štangar, Urška (author)

Bisphenols are widespread in the environment and can cause harm to aquatic and terrestrial life by acting as an endocrine disruptor, affecting reproduction, growth, and development. Hydrodynamic cavitation and photocatalysis can both be used to remove bisphenols from aquatic bodies, yet the reports on the combination of the two in a single system are scarce. Herein, we studied the removal of five bisphenols from tap water (TW) and real wastewater (WW) effluent at two environmentally relevant concentration levels, 200 ng/L and 1000 ng/L, by means of hydrodynamic cavitation, both independently and in combination with photocatalysis, using a TiO▫$_{2}$▫-SiO▫$_{2}$▫ composite catalyst immobilized on Al▫$_{2}$▫O▫$_{3}$▫ monoliths. For tap water, inside the short treatment times (15 min or 30 min) the efficiency of removal reached up to 100% for tetramethyl bisphenol F (TMBPF) while only 15% for bisphenol S (BPS). Interestingly, the average total amount of BPAs removed across all treatment combinations was almost the same in case of TW (58.5 ng) and WW (60.4 ng). The current study shows an important advancement in the practical applicability of the two methods for treating polluted water bodies which is applicable to the upcoming implementation of the quaternary treatment in WW treatment plants.

• Language: English
• Keywords: hydrodynamic cavitation, photocatalysis, immobilized TiO2, quaternary treatment, bisphenols
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 129, art. 107830
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181428
• UDC: 532.528:544.526.5
• ISSN on article: 1350-4177
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2026.107830
• COBISS.SI-ID: 274344963
• Publication date in RUL: 07.04.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Ultrasonics sonochemistry
• Shortened title: Ultrason. sonochem.
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier
• ISSN: 1350-4177
• COBISS.SI-ID: 707668

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: hidrodinamska kavitacija, fotokataliza, nanešen TiO2, kvartarno čiščenje, bisfenoli