Design and structural control of g-C3N4/(Pd)/BiOBr photocatalyst for comprehensive degradation of multi-component wastewater

• Published in: Journal of environmental chemical engineering Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 113575
• Main Authors: Zhao, Yihao, Wang, Bingzhu, Fang, Qimin, Wu, Songyang, Ma, Yuan, Xie, Changxiang, Wang, Haiwang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Bismuth bromide oxide; Degradation of dyes; Graphite phase carbon nitride; Heavy metals; Precious metal Pd loads; Solvothermal method; Graphite phase carbon nitride; Precious metal Pd loads; Antibiotics; Bismuth bromide oxide; Degradation of dyes; Solvothermal method; Heavy metals
• ISSN: 2213-3437
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2024.113575

To achieve efficient photocatalytic degradation of multi-component wastewater, the solvothermal method was employed to synthesize g-C3N4/BiOBr, leading to a homogeneous encapsulation of lamellar g-C3N4 around the flower-like spherical BiOBr structure. In this work, the control of the temperature and the composition ratio during the solvothermal process was used to achieve the modulation of the g-C3N4/BiOBr microscopic morphology and enhance the photocatalytic activity, and the mechanism of the evolution of its microstructure and photocatalytic activity was elucidated. Moreover, the electron transport bridge between heterojunctions was constructed by introducing metal Pd, which further reduced the probability of photogenerated electron-hole complexation, leading to a higher photocatalytic performance. The elimination rates of RhB, Cr(VI), and TCH of g-C3N4/Pd/BiOBr under the irradiation of visible light were 99.74 %, 89.20 %, and 44.62 %, respectively, which achieved efficient elimination of a wide range of pollutants. Besides, the carrier transport mechanism in g-C3N4/Pd/BiOBr heterojunction was proven to Z scheme, which mainly induced the complexation of e- in the conduction band of BiOBr and h+ in the valence band of g-C3N4, which provided higher energy for oxidation and reductive degradation. This work provides an important reference for the research focusing on photocatalyst design and sewage treatment. [Display omitted] •The microstructure control of g-C3N4/BiOBr heterojunction is realized.•The introduction of Pd particles significantly improved the photocatalytic activity.•The transport mechanism of carriers in g-C3N4/Pd/BiOBr is proved to be Z mechanism.•g-C3N4/Pd/BiOBr can realize the catalytic degradation of multiple pollutants.