Issue 39, 2024

Adsorption–photocatalytic synergistic removal of MB by peanut shell biochar-supported TiO2/Ce–C3N4 heterojunctions

Abstract

Based on the excellent adsorption and electron transfer ability of biochar, the combination of a photocatalyst and biochar is an effective strategy to enhance overall photocatalytic activity. Hence, a series of peanut shell biochar-loaded TiO2/Ce–C3N4 heterojunctions were prepared by adjusting the mass ratio of TiO2 and Ce–C3N4, and their structure and properties were intensively characterized by applying various advanced techniques. In addition, their photocatalytic degradation activity was investigated using methylene blue solution (MB) as an organic pollutant model under visible light irradiation. Results showed that the photocatalytic activity of BC/TiO2/Ce–C3N4 was significantly improved by adsorption–photocatalytic synergic effects. After 30 min of adsorption and 7 min of visible light irradiation, the removal rate for MB reached 100%. The adsorption and photocatalytic degradation processes followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and first-order kinetic model, respectively. The rate constant of photocatalytic degradation was 0.3325 min−1, which was 19 times and 16 times that of Ce–C3N4 and TiO2, respectively. The introduction of BC and the construction of heterojunctions led to a decrease in the band gap energy of BC/TiO2/Ce–C3N4, which accelerated the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers and effectively inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electron holes. In addition, capture experiments showed that the main active groups for the degradation of MB by BC/TiO2/Ce–C3N4 were ˙O2 and h+, and a possible photodegradation mechanism was proposed for the prepared composites. The significantly strengthened photocatalytic activity and excellent stability make BC/TiO2/Ce–C3N4 a promising dual-function composite for affordable, fast and efficient decontamination of MB from wastewater.

Graphical abstract: Adsorption–photocatalytic synergistic removal of MB by peanut shell biochar-supported TiO2/Ce–C3N4 heterojunctions

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Aug 2024
Accepted
09 Sep 2024
First published
27 Sep 2024

New J. Chem., 2024,48, 17321-17336

Adsorption–photocatalytic synergistic removal of MB by peanut shell biochar-supported TiO2/Ce–C3N4 heterojunctions

X. Li, J. Zhang and X. Feng, New J. Chem., 2024, 48, 17321 DOI: 10.1039/D4NJ03455D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements