Construction of Z-scheme Cu-CeO_(2)/BiOBr heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of sulfathiazole

The utilization of an efficient photocatalyst is crucial for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in water through visible light,which is an imperative requirement for the remediation of water environments.In this study,a novel Cu-CeO_(2)/BiOBr Z-type heterojunction was synthesized by calcination and hydrothermal methods,and the degradation rate of sulfathiazole(STZ)antibiotic solution was studied using simulated illumination(300 W xenon lamp).The results indicated that 3%Cu-CeO_(2)/BiOBr achieved a degradation rate of 92.3%within 90 min when treating 20 mg/L STZ solution,demonstrating its potential for practical water treatment applications.Characterization using various chemical instruments revealed that 3%Cu-CeO_(2)/Bi OBr exhibited the lowest electron-hole recombination rate and electron transfer resistance.Furthermore,the utilization of ESR data and quenching experiments has substantiated the involvement of hydroxyl radicals(·OH)and superoxide radicals(·O_(2)^(-))as the primary active species.Consequently,a plausible degradation mechanism has been inferred.These findings offer a prospective approach for the development of heterojunction materials with appropriate band matching.

Tailoring a novel hierarchical cheese-like porous biochar from algae residue to boost sulfathiazole removal

Aquatic pollution caused by antibiotics poses a significant threat to human health and the ecosystem.Inspired from“Emmental Cheese”that owns lots of natural pores,we here fabricated a hierarchical cheese-like porous Spirulina residue biochar(KSBC)activated by KHCO_(3)for efficiently boosting the removal of sulfathiazole(STZ).Through learning form nature that the CO_(2)produced by bacteria can serve as the natural pore maker(like cheese-making),KHCO_(3)was thus selected as the gas generating agent in this study.The effect of adding KHCO_(3)on the surface properties of KSBC was comprehensively investigated.Benefiting from the activation,the KSBC with the mass ratio of 2:1(2K-SBC)possessed the largest specific surface areas(1100 m^(2)g^(-1)),which was approximately 81 times that of the original(not activated)Spirulina residue biochar(SBC)(13.56 m^(2)g
^(-1)).Moreover,2K-SBC exhibited the maximum adsorption capacity for STZ(218.4 mg g^(-1)),dramatically higher than the SBC(25.78 mg g^(-1)).The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms exhibited that the adsorption behavior of 2K-SBC for STZ was consistent with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models.Additionally,the adsorption thermodynamics revealed that the adsorption of STZ on 2K-SBC was spontaneous and exothermic.The pore-filling and electrostatic interaction were considered the main mechanism for the adsorption of STZ on 2K-SBC,whereas the p-p electron donor-acceptor(EDA)interaction and hydrogen bond would also partially contribute to the adsorption process.