Polypropylene nonwoven filter with nanosized ZnO rods: Promising hybrid photocatalyst for water purification

[Display omitted] •Straightforward synthesis of hybrid photocatalysts containing polypropylene nonwoven and 1D ZnO nanorods.•Very active and stable PP fibers with ZnO nanorods for aqueous phase photocatalytic degradation of phenol.•Simple preparation of photocatalytically active modern composite filter to fight against organic wastewater.•Advantages of combining filtration and photocatalysis for water purification. Modern composite filter materials were obtained via modification of commercially available polypropylene (PP) nonwovens with particles of nanorods zinc oxide (ZnO/PP) with high aspect ratio. This modification was conducted as a three-step process consisting of a plasma treatment of the polymer nonwovens (increasing their wettability), deposition of ZnO nuclei on fibers surface and low temperature hydrothermal growth of ZnO rods. A remarkable photocatalytic initial specific activity for ZnO/PP was observed (3-fold higher than commercial ZnO) and high stability in aqueous phase phenol mineralization.