The immobilization of titanium dioxide, particularly commercial TiO₂ P25, on the surface of recycled rubber tiles presents a solution for achieving passive air protection. A completely new purpose for tiles was obtained by addressing air pollution and related health issues. Modified rubber tiles were prepared using a sol–gel method with three different proportions of TiO₂ (2, 4, and 10 g) in the solution. The nature of TiO₂ nanoparticles and their respective binding on the tile surface was determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with electron dispersion X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The SEM-EDS results showed that the most successful immobilization was achieved with the lowest amount of TiO₂ in the sol–gel solution. The FTIR results confirmed a band at 950 cm⁻¹ that was attributed to the Ti-O-Si bond. The stability and environmental impact of the treated rubber substrates were investigated by a leaching test. Photocatalytic oxidation was confirmed by the oxidation of NH₃ to N₂. Based on the results obtained, rubber substrates with an addition of 2 g of TiO₂ have demonstrated prospects for further tests of the photocatalytic degradation of airborne pollutants.

Anticancer drugs pose a potential risk to the environment due to their significant consumption and biological effect even at low concentrations. They can leach into soils and sediments, wastewater, and eventually into drinking water supplies. Many conventional technologies with more effective advanced oxidation processes such as photocatalysis are being extensively studied to find an economical and environmentally friendly solution for the removal of impurities from wastewater as the main source of these pharmaceuticals. Since it is impossible to treat water by photocatalysis if there is no sorption of a contaminant on the photocatalyst, this work investigated the amount of imatinib and crizotinib sorbed from an aqueous medium to different forms of photocatalyst. In addition, based on the sorption affinity studied, the applicability of sorption as a simpler and less costly process was tested in general as a potential route to remove imatinib and crizotinib from water. Their sorption possibility was investigated determining the maximum of sorption, influence of pH, ionic strength, temperature, and sorbent dosage in form of the suspension and immobilized on the fiberglass mesh with only TiO₂ and in combination with TiO₂/carbon nanotubes. The sorption isotherm data fitted well the linear, Freundlich, and Langmuir model for both pharmaceuticals. An increasing trend of sorption coefficients K_d was observed in the pH range of 5–9 with CRZ, showing higher sorption affinity to all TiO₂ forms, which was supported by K_F values higher than 116 (μg/g)(mL/μg)^1/n. The results also show a positive correlation between K_d and temperature as well as sorbent dosage for both pharmaceuticals, while CRZ sorbed less at higher salt concentration. The kinetic data were best described with a pseudo-second-order model (R² > 0.995).

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was added in different proportions as a filler to the mixture for the production of recycled rubber tiles in order to improve their existing properties. The mechanical properties of novel rubber tiles were analyzed in the context of abrasion resistance, maximum stress (TS), stress at break (TSb), deformation at break (Eb), and hardness. An optimal mixture composition was found comparing the obtained results of mechanical tests; successful improvement of abrasion by 22.1%, Eb by 10.46% and hardness by 17.65% was achieved. Finally, the characterization of the new rubber tile by SEM/EDS and FTIR analysis was carried out, along with the stability and environmental impact assessment based on the leaching test. The accelerated aging test was conducted using a solar simulator, after which the mechanical properties, SEM/EDS, FTIR, and leaching test were re-examined. The results after the accelerated aging test showed that tiles with the addition of TiO₂ have better mechanical properties compared to the reference ones; TS improved by 85.71%, Eb by 75.53%, and hardness by 9.43%. Therefore, we concluded that TiO₂ as a filler in interaction with rubber and polyurethane composites significantly contributed to the improvement of the existing rubber tile, and the achieved improvements are useful for the original application of these tiles, which is the protection from injuries on playgrounds and sports fields. Also, the improvement achieved extends the service life of this type of tile, which contributes to the quality of this type of material.

During the last decades, heterogenous photocatalysis has shown as the most promising advanced oxidation process for the removal of micropollutants due to degradation rate, sustainability, non-toxicity, and low-cost. Synergistic interaction of light irradiation, photocatalysts, and highly reactive species are used to break down pollutants toward inert products. Even though titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is the most researched photocatalyst, to overcome shortcomings, various modifications have been made to intensify photocatalytic activity in visible spectra range among which is modification with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Therefore, photocatalytic oxidation and its intensification by photocatalyst’s modification was studied on the example of four micropollutants (diclofenac, DF; imidacloprid, IMI; 1-H benzotriazole, BT; methylene blue, MB) degradation. Compound parabolic collector (CPC) reactor was used as, nowadays, it has been considered the state-of-the-art system due to its usage of both direct and diffuse solar radiation and quantum efficiency. A commercially available TiO₂ P25 and nanocomposite of TiO₂ and MWCNT were immobilized on a glass fiber mesh by sol-gel method. Full-spectra solar lamps with appropriate UVB and UVA irradiation levels were used in all experiments. Photocatalytic degradation of DF, IMI, BT, and MB by immobilized TiO₂ and TiO₂/CNT photocatalysts was achieved. Mathematical modelling which included mass transfer and photon absorption was applied and intrinsic reaction rate constants were estimated: $k_{\mathrm{DF}}=3.56 \times {10}^{-10}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{W}}^{-0.5}{\mathrm{m}}^{1.5}$, $k_{\mathrm{IMI}}=8.90 \times {10}^{-11}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{W}}^{-0.5}{\mathrm{m}}^{1.5}$, $k_{\mathrm{BT}}=1.20 \times {10}^{-9}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{W}}^{-0.5}{\mathrm{m}}^{1.5}$, $k_{\mathrm{MB}}=1.62 \times {10}^{-10}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}{\mathrm{W}}^{-0.5}{\mathrm{m}}^{1.5}$. Intensification of photocatalysis by TiO₂/CNT was observed for DF, IMI, and MB, while that was not the case for BT. The developed model can be effectively applied for different irradiation conditions which makes it extremely versatile and adaptable when predicting the degradation extents throughout the year using sunlight as the energy source at any location.

The extensive global use of rubber results in significant microplastic pollution from the release of tire wear particles and microplastic leachate, impacting the environment, human health, and ecosystems. Waste tires are normally recycled and used for the production of new products, such as rubber tiles. The presented study aims to show the possibility of further decrease in the negative environmental impact of materials based on recycled rubber. This paper presents the modification of rubber tiles with a titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coating, focusing on surface integrity, rubber particle wear release, and the consequent environmental impact of leachate release. Both reference and modified rubber tiles were subjected to artificial accelerated aging in a solar simulator for 4, 6, and 8 weeks, followed by an abrasion test. The carbonyl index was calculated from FTIR characterization after each time frame to indicate the degradation of organic compounds and chemical changes caused by UV exposure. A 24 h leaching test with a liquid-to-sample ratio of 1:20 was performed on both rubber tile samples prior to and after 8 weeks of aging along with the aged wear particles for the purpose of the non-target screening of released organic leachate by LC/MS QTOF. The results of carbonyl indices showed that the TiO₂ coating contributes to the stabilization of polymer degradation and, to a certain extent, reduces the leaching of organic compounds, such as phthalates. However, the increased wear and release of rubber particles and the subsequent degradation of organic leachates require further in-depth research.