A rapidly growing threat to global water quality is anthropogenic contamination of the drinking water supply with organic chemicals from pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial solvents. Traditional purification methods are ineffective against these contaminants, as very low concentrations can be detrimental to human health. As maximum allowable concentration standards approach the molecular level, developing more efficient water treatment technologies is of paramount importance. In this study, we use titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TNPs) to adsorb organic pollutants from water. TNPs were synthesized using the sol-gel method, employing hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide under acidic conditions. Particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol) was chosen as the model organic pollutant due to functional group variety combined with structural simplicity. The pollutant was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and both carbon-13 (13C NMR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR). TNPs were pressed into pellets, and used to filter contaminated water. Finally, TNPs were again characterized using the above methods to confirm binding of acetaminophen to TNPs.
