Photocatalytic Decomposition of Microplastics with a Suspension of Titanium Dioxide Doped with Fullerenol-70

Abstract— The photocatalytic activity of a suspension of titanium dioxide with fullerenol-70 in the decomposition of a microplastic has been studied. The efficiency of decomposition of various types of microplastics was determined based on the obtained results: the degradation after 1 day of experiment was 25 ± 12% for low-pressure polyethylene; 27 ± 3% for polyethylene terephthalate; 42 ± 8% for polystyrene; and 44 ± 21% for nylon. The resulting suspension of titania with fullerenol-70 is 1.9 times more efficient than a suspension of individual titania in the decomposition of high-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate, three times more efficient in the decomposition of polystyrene, and 3.1 times more efficient in the decomposition of nylon.