Green flower-like Bi2WO6 supported on chitosan beads: a powerful and sustainable visible-light-driven water treatment photocatalyst

Abstract

Water pollution from organic dyes, antibiotics, and other chemicals poses a significant threat to water quality and availability. Photocatalysis, which utilizes solar energy, provides an eco-friendly, sustainable, and environmentally friendly solution to mitigate this issue. In this work, new flower-like Bi₂WO₆ microspheres were synthesized and easily incorporated into chitosan hydrogel. The resulting photocatalysts were evaluated for their morphology, composition, crystalline structure, light absorption properties, and photocatalytic performance in the photodegradation of Rhodamine B and Ciprofloxacin under visible light irradiation. The materials also exhibited excellent catalytic activity in reducing 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Furthermore, the prepared photocatalysts demonstrated good reusability for up to seven cycles. Overall, this study highlights the potential of bismuth-based nanomaterials, specifically Bi₂WO₆, as effective photocatalysts for water treatment applications.