Novel BiVO4/SiC/Cu2O ternary composite photocatalyst coupled with carbonized wood for simultaneous water evaporation and purification driven by solar energy

Abstract

This work reported a novel BiVO4/SiC/Cu2O photocatalyst (BSC), and investigated the microstructure, elemental composition and photoelectrochemical properties of the ternary composite photocatalyst. Compared with pure BiVO4, BSC exhibited enhanced levofloxacin hydrochloride (LEF) degradation. The degradation rate of LEF can reach 85.83% within 100 min under the conditions of 25 mg BSC addition, LEF concentration of 10 mg/L and pH of 6.3. Furthermore, a monolithic photocatalyst (BSC@C-wood) was developed by coating BSC on one side of carbonized wood (C-wood), enabling water evaporation and purification. We collected clean water vapor and found that the SiC on C-wood can significantly enhance water purification efficiency due to its excellent photothermal ability. BSC@C-wood provides an alternative approach for the low-cost and high-efficiency treatment of wastewater.