Abstract
The exploration of cost-effective and highly efficient photocatalysts is still a great challenge. In this work, a cost-effective and highly active Bi2WO6/calcined mussel shell (CMS/BWO) composite photocatalyst was prepared by a facile solvothermal route, in which Bi2WO6 nanosheets were tightly, evenly, and vertically grown on waste calcined mussel shells (CMS). Multiple techniques are adopted to characterize the phases, morphology, and chemical properties of the as-fabricated catalysts. In contrast to the stacked Bi2WO6, CMS/BWO has numerous exposed edges and open transfer pathways, which can create more open space and reactive sites for photocatalytic reactions. Such favorable characteristics enable CMS/BWO to efficiently degrade organic pollutants (e.g., rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), tetracycline hydrochloride (TC)) under visible light. Moreover, the generation of reactive species during the photocatalytic process is also examined by trapping experiments, disclosing the pivotal role of photo-generated holes (h+) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) in the photo-degradation of pollutants. Above all, this study not only provides an efficient photocatalyst for environmental remediation, but it also opens up new possibilities for waste mussel shell reutilization.
Highlights
Refractory organic pollutants, such as industrial dyes and antibiotics, bring a huge threat to the environment
The presence of Ca(OH)2 is probably due to the fact that CaCO3 is decomposed into CaO at a high temperature, which further reacts with H2 O to generate Ca(OH)2
Bi2WO6/calcined mussel shell (CMS/BWO) composite photocatalysts have been constructed with a simple strategy
Summary
Refractory organic pollutants, such as industrial dyes and antibiotics, bring a huge threat to the environment. How to effectively remove these pollutants has been one of the most concerning topics in the field of environmental remediation. Several means have been employed to remove pollutants, including adsorption, biological degradation, and chemical oxidation [1,2,3]. A semiconductor-based photocatalysis technique, which deploys sunlight for the effective decomposition of pollutants, has drawn worldwide interest due to its low cost, high efficiency, and sustainability [4]. One of the Bi-based compounds, bismuth tungstate (Bi2 WO6 ) with unique layer structures, high chemical stability, and good optical properties, is considered In light of the actual application, great efforts have been contributed to the exploration of excellent photocatalysts [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19].
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