An excellent sensible heat storage and photothermal conversion pyrite waste material for pollutant removal

Abstract

The synergistic effect of photothermal conversion and heat energy storage of Fenton catalysts can not only effectively improve solar energy utilization, but also enhance the removal efficiency of pollutants in environmental governance. Herein, the pyrite waste derived from Baihe in Shaanxi was selected as a functional material for the removal of ofloxacin (OFX) in wastewater. The pyrite waste exhibited excellent photothermal conversion properties and was also proven to have the ability to store the generated heat energy by the photothermal effect. Notably, the pyrite waste after light irradiation had an excellent treatment effect for OFX, and the removal efficiency was 16.8% in the stored heat-driven Fenton reaction higher than that of the traditional Fenton reaction. This could be attributed to the fact that the pyrite waste stores the heat generated by the photothermal effect during irradiation and then releases the stored heat to raise the temperature of the solution, thereby facilitating the removal of pollutants. This also showed an excellent removal effect on six typical dyes and antibiotics. Moreover, the pyrite waste had perfect photothermal conversion–heat storage performance under natural solar illumination and showed a good removal effect in the outdoor practical application. Adhering to the concept of “turn waste into treasure”, the pyrite waste with photothermal conversion–heat energy storage performance presents great application prospects in solar wastewater treatment systems.