Simultaneous wastewater treatment and generation of blended fuel methane and hydrogen using Au-Pt/TiO2 photo-reforming catalytic material

In this work, we report the generation of blended fuel of hydrogen and methane by using simultaneous photocatalysis and photoreforming reactions. A photocatalyst Au-Pt/TiO2 has been designed rationally and synthesized for the efficient electron transfer from Au to Pt and surface ensemble effects which improved the yield of hydrogen and methane. The distribution of Au and Pt nanoparticles were determined by using electron microscope investigations. The nanocatalyst was further studied for structural elucidation by using X-ray diffraction and optical spectroscopy. It was observed that the nanoparticles of Au and Pt dispersed on the TiO2 responsible for facilitation of electron transfer in UV and visible region. This mechanism easily excites TiO2 for catalytic transformation of carboxylic acid to hydrogen and methane. Under UV-Visible light (400 W) the newly developed catalyst reports effective production of hydrogen and methane at the rate of 9386 and 2208 mu mol/h (14725 and 62579 mu mol/h/g), respectively from acetic acid with apparent quantum yield of 3.85% at the bandgap of 3.2 eV. This catalytic production of hydrogen and methane (hythane gas) was examined using acetic acid enriched wastewater. The blended fuel obtained can be used in automobiles as the fuel with lower emissions compared with methane alone as the fuel.

Automated summary

In this study, a blended fuel of hydrogen and methane was successfully generated through simultaneous photocatalysis and photoreforming reactions. The designed Au-Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst enhanced electron transfer efficiency and surface ensemble effects, leading to improved yields of hydrogen and methane. The nanoparticles of Au and Pt dispersed on TiO2 were found to facilitate electron transfer in UV and visible light, enabling catalytic transformation of acetic acid into hydrogen and methane with high quantum yield. The resulting blended fuel could be used in automobiles with lower emissions compared to methane alone.