Composite Photocatalytic Materials Research Articles

Temperature-Sensitive Template for Preparation of ZnO/CeO2 Composite Photocatalytic Materials and Its Catalytic Performance

In this work, a series of thermosensitive ionic liquid functionalized polymers, PNx(IL)y, with controllable morphology and particle size were prepared by free radical polymerization. Then, using the polymer PN64(IL)8 with uniform morphology as a templating agent, the ZnO composite photocatalytic materials doped with rare earth metal Ce were prepared in combination with a microwave-assisted and templated hydrothermal reaction method. Series different Ce-doping amount photocatalytic materials ZnO-Ce-x‰ were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, and other methods. The results demonstrated that the templated materials PN64(IL)8 can prepare ZnO-Ce-2‰ with uniform petaloid ambulacra shape, good distribution of elements, and excellent photocatalytic performance. Photocatalytic degradation experiments of methyl orange (MO) showed that when the Ce-doping amount is only 2‰, the degradation rate of organic dyes can reach 96.5% by reacting the photocatalytic materials in water for 1 h. In addition, this kind of photocatalyst can be used for the degradation of high-concentration MO, as well as being easily recovered and effectively reused by simple filtration. Therefore, the structure of this kind of photocatalyst is controllable in the preparation process with an extremely low Ce-doping amount compared with current reports, and it has a good application prospect in the field of wastewater treatment technology.

Study on the preparation of CdS/TiO2 corn straw biochar composite materials for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 and collaborative H2 production.

A thermal synthesis method was employed in this work to prepare CdS/TiO2 corn straw biochar photocatalytic composite materials suitable for synergistic hydrogen production with the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. The structure and synergistic reaction of these composite materials were characterized by its photogenerated electron transfer process. Compared with pure TiO2, the energy band gap of the optimal CdS/TiO2 corn straw biochar composite material was reduced to 2.89eV. The heterostructure coupling between TiO2 and CdS in the biochar accelerated the transfer of photogenerated electrons and reduced the recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes. Under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic H2 yield of this CdS/TiO2 corn straw-derived biochar composite material was 1200µmol·h-1·g-1, the CO yield was 150µmol·h-1·g-1, and the CH4 yield was 55µmol·h-1·g-1. The key to this synergistic reaction is the formation of heterojunctions between CdS and TiO2 as well as the rapid oxidation of holes in the composite material caused by the doping of biochar.

Construction of loading g-C3N4/TiO2 on waste cotton-based activated carbon S-scheme heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of microplastics: Performance, DFT calculation and mechanism study

In order to achieve the degradation of polyethylene microplastics (PE) in wastewater. The g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC composite photocatalytic materials were prepared by mixed high-temperature thermal polymerization method with the g-C3N4 and the waste cotton based activated carbon (WCT-AC) loaded TiO2 as precursors. The phase morphology, elemental composition, morphology and photochemical properties of the g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectrum (UV–vis DRS) and photo luminescence (PL). The results of UV–vis DRS and PL showed that the combination of the g-C3N4 and the TiO2/WCT-AC improved the absorption in the visible region, broadened the spectral response range, and the formation of heterojunctions enabled efficient photoelectron-hole separation and improved the photocatalytic activity. Under visible light irradiation for 200 h, catalyst dosage 50 mg, and system pH = 7.0, the highest removal rate of the g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC for PE microplastics reached 67.58 %, and it still showed excellent stability after 5 cycles. The active groups such as ·O2−, ·OH and h+ produced in the g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC system under visible light excitation realized the degradation of PE microplastics. The whole process is a complex oxidation bond breaking process, and the degradation of PE microplastics by g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC follows the S-type charge transfer mechanism.

Construction of loading g-C3N4/TiO2 on waste cotton-based activated carbon S-scheme heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of microplastics: performance, DFT calculation and mechanism study

In order to achieve the degradation of polyethylene microplastics (PE) in wastewater. The g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC composite photocatalytic materials were prepared by mixed high-temperature thermal polymerization method with the g-C3N4 and the waste cotton based activated carbon (WCT-AC) loaded TiO2 as precursors. The phase morphology, elemental composition, morphology and photochemical properties of the g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum (UV-vis DRS) and photo luminescence (PL). The results of UV-vis DRS and PL showed that the combination of the g-C3N4 and the TiO2/WCT-AC improved the absorption in the visible region, broadened the spectral response range, and the formation of heterojunctions enabled efficient photoelectron-hole separation and improved the photocatalytic activity. Under visible light irradiation for 200 hours, catalyst dosage 50 mg, and system pH=7.0, the highest removal rate of the g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC for PE microplastics reached 67.58%, and it still showed excellent stability after 5 cycles. The active groups such as ·O2-, ·OH and h+ produced in the g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC system under visible light excitation realized the degradation of PE microplastics. The whole process is a complex oxidation bond breaking process, and the degradation of PE microplastics by g-C3N4/TiO2/WCT-AC follows the S-type charge transfer mechanism.

Insights into the PMS activation towards phenol removal mechanism by a Ti3C2-MXene doped BiVO4 photocatalyst

In the field of water treatment, photocatalysis and the peroxomonosulfate (PMS) deep oxidation process have emerged as potential solutions for the degradation of refractory organic pollutants. In this study, a novel BiVO4/Ti3C2 composite photocatalytic material was successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The energy band structure of this material was utilized to establish Schottky barriers, enhancing the separation of photogenerated carriers. This, in turn, facilitated the activation of PMS under visible light, generating reactive species that effectively degraded phenol. The results demonstrate that in the BT-3/PMS system, the degradation rate of phenol reached 87.2 % within 60 min, with a maximum degradation rate constant of 0.02537 min−1. This represents an 8.8-fold improvement compared to pure BiVO4 and a 5.2-fold improvement compared to pure PMS. Free radical tests indicated that SO4·- was the primary reactive species involved in the degradation process. This study offers a promising approach for the design of efficient and stable Schottky junction photocatalysts that can be activated by visible light and PMS to effectively degrade organic pollutants.

Effect of CdS on microstructure and performance of ZnO composite photocatalyst

AbstractIn this study, Nd‒Dy‒ZnO and CdS‒Nd‒Dy‒ZnO photocatalysts were prepared by microwave hydrothermal method to improve the photocatalytic performance of ZnO. The microstructure and performance of samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet (UV)‒visible, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and evaluated with the methylene blue. The results showed that CdS attached to the ZnO crystal surface in the form of flocculent particles, and the combination with CdS promoted the growth of ZnO crystals, while an excess of CdS was found to be detrimental to the crystallization of ZnO. When nCdS/nZnO = 0.30 mol%, composite materials achieved the optimal photocatalytic performance, which made the degradation rate of methylene blue reach 93.42% under UV irradiation for 4 h. CdS‒Nd‒Dy‒ZnO composite photocatalytic material can generate active oxygen groups such as hydroxyl and superoxide radicals simultaneously, which greatly enhances the photocatalytic efficiency of the composite material.

Hydrothermally Synthesized ZnCr- and NiCr-Layered Double Hydroxides as Hydrogen Evolution Photocatalysts.

The layered double hydroxides (LDHs) of transition metals are of great interest as building blocks for the creation of composite photocatalytic materials for hydrogen production, environmental remediation and other applications. However, the synthesis of most LDHs is reported only by the conventional coprecipitation method, which makes it difficult to control the catalyst's crystallinity. In the present study, ZnCr- and NiCr-LDHs have been successfully prepared using a facile hydrothermal approach. Varying the hydrothermal synthesis conditions allowed us to obtain target products with a controllable crystallite size in the range of 2-26 nm and a specific surface area of 45-83 m2∙g-1. The LDHs synthesized were investigated as photocatalysts of hydrogen generation from aqueous methanol. It was revealed that the photocatalytic activity of ZnCr-LDH samples grows monotonically with the increase in their average crystallite size, while that of NiCr-LDH ones reaches a maximum with intermediate-sized crystallites and then decreases due to the specific surface area reduction. The concentration dependence of the hydrogen evolution activity is generally consistent with the standard Langmuir-Hinshelwood model for heterogeneous catalysis. At a methanol content of 50 mol. %, the rate of hydrogen generation over ZnCr- and NiCr-LDHs reaches 88 and 41 μmol∙h-1∙g-1, respectively. The hydrothermally synthesized LDHs with enhanced crystallinity may be of interest for further fabrication of their nanosheets being promising components of new composite photocatalysts.

BNQDs and Fe2O3QDs co-doped in porous g-C3N4 for accelerating photogenerated electron migration and enhancing photo-Fenton catalysis efficiency

With the maturity of advanced oxidation processes, photo-Fenton synergistic catalytic technology, as one of them, has become an irreplaceable strategy in environmental treatment and other fields. However, this technology suffers from drawbacks such as facile recombination of electron-hole pairs (e-/h+), low conversion efficiency between Fe3+ and Fe2+, and limited active sites. To address these issues, this study constructs a photo-Fenton synergistic system based on porous g-C3N4 (FBNCN) modified with BNQDs and Fe2O3QDs. Among them, the porous g-C3N4 provides more active sites and larger quantum dot anchoring space for the catalytic reaction. The introduction of the BNQDs effectively traps the hole (h+), reduces e-/h+ recombination, facilitates the photo-generated electrons leap, and accelerates charge transfer, while the anchoring of Fe2O3QDs enables efficient the migration of active sites and charges. This results in improved conversion efficiency between Fe3+ and Fe2+, leading to enhanced generation of ·O2- and ·OH species that exhibit excellent visible-light-catalyzed oxidation ability. Moreover, remarkable degradation efficiency was achieved for antibiotic organic pollutants (tetracycline hydrochloride, chlortetracycline hydrochloride, norfloxacin, amoxicillin) per unit of time using this catalyst system, thus providing a new method for antibiotic organic pollutant degradation. In-situ XPS technique was used to analyze the movement direction of the photogenerated charges of the composite photocatalytic materials and reveal the degradation mechanism under the synergistic system.

Optimization of preparation conditions of Bi-doped TiO2/montmorillonite composites and its photodegradation of Rhodamine B

In order to improve the photocatalytic degradation performance of titanium intercalated montmorillonite composites, the sol-gel method was used to intercalate bismuth/titanium polymerized hydroxyl cations into the interlayer of sodium-based montmorillonite (Na-MMT). The optimum synthesis conditions of Bi-doped TiO2/montmorillonite composite photocatalytic material (Bi/Ti-MMT) were investigated. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and UV–vis diffusion reflectance spectrum (UV-Vis DRS) had been used to study the formation of Bi/Ti-MMT. Under the conditions of Bi/Ti molar ratio of 7 %, montmorillonite suspension mass fraction of 2 %, calcination temperature of 600 ℃ and calcination time of 3 h, the Bi/Ti-MMT had the highest photocatalytic activity, the degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RhB) was 88.16 %. In Bi/Ti-MMT composites, TiO2 existed in anatase phase. Bi3+ replaced Ti4+ and was doped into the TiO2 lattice, which can inhibit the growth of TiO2 crystals and reduce the band gap. The photoresponse range of the composite material was broadened to visible light, which improved the utilization of light.

A novel composite (BiVO4/TiS2) presenting an excellent Z-scheme photocatalytic degradation for Rhodamine B dye under the visible light irradiation

Dye pollutant in the water is the most challenging problem in the textile industries. Novel composites photo-catalysts (BiVO4/TiS2@3%, BiVO4/TiS2@6%, and BiVO4/TiS2@9%) have been prepared to solve this problem. These composites proved promising materials as they have high photocatalytic performance and excellent electro-conductivity properties. Novel BiVO4/TiS2@3%, BiVO4/TiS2@6%, and BiVO4/TiS2@9% composites nanomaterials characterized by Photoluminescence Spectroscopy, UV–visible Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Raman Spectroscopy, Energy dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray Diffraction Techniques. BiVO4/TiS2@6% shows superior photocatalytic activity and removed RhB molecules (97%) in a very short time of 70 min when irradiated underneath visible light. Compared to pure BiVO4 and TiS2, the average photocatalytic efficiency of composite materials (BiVO4/TiS2@3%, BiVO4/TiS2@6%, and BiVO4/TiS2@9%) was high. Photo generated carrier's transmission becomes smooth due to the very small resistance of BiVO4/TiS2@3%, BiVO4/TiS2@6%, and BiVO4/TiS2@9%. The photoluminescence spectrum (PL) shows that photo-generated carriers of BiVO4/TiS2@6% have the highest separation efficiency. Focusing on a capturing experiment for the degradation of RhB, a good photocatalytic process was presented. It was unexpected to see how quickly the rate of degradation of a new BiVO4/TiS2@6% composite photocatalytic material could still be up to 90% after six cycles. Finally, proposed an excellent photo-catalyst BiVO4/TiS2@6% for wastewater treatment on an industrial scale.

Preparation of a Type II CeO2/Bi2O2CO3 Heterojunction Photocatalyst and its Efficient Degradation of Antibiotic

AbstractIn this paper, a type II CeO2/Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction composite photocatalytic material with different proportions was synthesized. The structure, morphology, and photocatalytic properties of CeO2/Bi2O2CO3 were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and XPS. SEM showed that CeO2 and Bi2O2CO3 are closely combined, which is conducive to carrier migration and separation and improves the stability of the material. The light absorption properties of CeO2/Bi2O2CO3 composites were tested by UV‐vis DRS. The photocatalytic performance of the CeO2/Bi2O2CO3 composite system was studied with chlortetracycline hydrochloride as the target material. The results showed that under the conditions of 12.5 % CeO2, 0.5 g/L catalyst, and 20 mg/L chlortetracycline hydrochloride, the photocatalytic performance of the composite system was the highest, reaching 95.2 %. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of CeO2 and Bi2O2CO3 were tested and their potential, conduction band, and valence band values were obtained. At the same time, we propose the mechanism of type II electron transfer in CeO2/Bi2O2CO3 composites.

Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants Using a Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Cuprous Oxide Composite Membrane.

Enhancing the efficiency of photocatalysts in the removal of organic pollutants is of vital importance in wastewater treatment. In this work, a set of composite membranes that can be used for efficient removal of the organic dyes, such as methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), and Congo red (CR), were prepared through coblending/electrospinning techniques using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as the substrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the dispersing agent and wettability regulator, and cuprous oxide (Cu2O) as the photocatalyst. The results showed that Cu2O particles were well encapsulated in the electrospun PVDF/PVP fibers, and the composite membranes exhibited apparently enhanced hydrophilicity. Furthermore, compared with the pure Cu2O particles, the composite membranes not only showed a higher photocatalytic degradation ratio for MO (93.6%) but also showed a much higher degradation rate (62.4 mg/(mg·h)) in comparison with the other reported Cu2O-based composite photocatalytic materials in the literature. In addition, the membrane sample also had excellent recycling stability, and the retention rate of its removal ability maintained 92.1% after 5 times of recycling. Furthermore, the composite membranes also showed high removal ability toward MB and CR, with photocatalytic degradation ratios of 81.4 and 76.1%, respectively. This work indicates that the prepared PVDF/PVP-Cu2O composite membranes possess promising application prospects in wastewater treatment.

Rational construction of visible-light-driven perylene diimides/Fe2O3@C derived from MIL-88A (Fe) heterojunction with S-scheme electron transfer pathway to activate peroxymonosulfate for degradation of antibiotics

The novel composite photocatalytic material perylene diimides/Fe2O3@C (PDIs/Fe2O3@C) was constructed by a simple hydrothermal-calcination method and an oil bath method. 20 % PDIs/Fe2O3@C displayed a 16.4-fold increase in the rate of tetracycline (TC) removal over Fe2O3@C at 8 min. The main factor that enhanced photocatalytic performance was due to the combination of PDIs with Fe2O3@C, which effectively improved the phenomenon during the self-assembly of highly agglomerative PDIs, increased the specific surface area of Fe2O3@C, exposed more reaction sites, and promoted the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by Fe2+/Fe3+; and secondly, the composite of two different materials, both organic and inorganic, which effectively promoted the photogenerated electron transfer and the separation of electron-hole pairs, the a new S-scheme electron transport pathway is formed, which effectively promoted the photogenerated electron transfer as well as the e−-h+ separation, which was more favorable for the activation of PMS. The whole reaction pathway and product toxicity were thoroughly evaluated by Fukui function calculations, Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS), and Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.) simulation results, which demonstrated the rationality of the degradation pathway and the greatly reduced product toxicity. Moreover, the composites were effective and versatile for all other antibiotics (chlortetracycline (CTC), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and sulfadiazine (SDZ)). As an advanced oxidation process, the activation of PDIs/Fe2O3@C under visible light shows its potential application in pollutant degradation, which provides new perspectives and ideas for further effective treatment of real wastewater.

Photocatalytic degradation of SBX in mineral processing wastewater with hollow CdS/MWCNTs nanocomposites

In this study, a novel hollow sphere CdS/MWCNTs composite photocatalytic material was prepared by hydrothermal method and was first used for the photocatalytic degradation of sodium butyl xanthate (SBX) in sulfide mineral processing wastewater. The morphology structure and photocatalytic properties of hollow sphere CdS/MWCNTs composite catalyst were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and photocatalytic activity experiments. The results showed that 15 mg CdS/MWCNTs with the 5 % MWCNTs doping amount possessed the highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency for SBX which the degradation rate reach 99 %. The hollow sphere structure and addition of MWCNTs obviously improved the migration and separation of photogenerated electrons (e−) and holes (h+) of pure CdS, leading to high photocatalytic efficiency.

Degradation performance study and application of LED light-driven g-C3N4/ZnO composites

In this paper, first-principle calculations based on density-functional theory (DFT) and plane-wave pseudopotential basis for g-C3N4/ZnO composites were carried out using Quantum Espresso (QE) code. The g-C3N4/ZnO composite photocatalytic materials were prepared by solid-phase calcination and characterized by XRD, SEM, and FT-IR. Photocatalytic degradation experiments were carried out under LED light irradiation, using the dye rhodamine B (RhB) and the antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) as simulated degradation targets. The degradation performance of the composites was tested using the commercially available pesticide glyphosate. The removal of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from water samples was tested using real sewage livestock wastewater. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism of the composites was explored by free radical trapping experiments. Finally, the MTT cytotoxicity test demonstrated that the g-C3N4/ZnO composite photocatalytic materials are non-cytotoxic and are expected to be used in wastewater treatment.

Synthesis of three-dimensional porous ZIF-67/Bi2S3 heterojunctions with improved photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation

Firstly, Bi2S3 material was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis method, and the ZIF-67/Bi2S3 composite photocatalyst material was obtained by adding different contents of Bi2S3 in the synthesis process of ZIF-67. Three-dimensional porous ZIF-67/Bi2S3 heterojunction has a high specific surface area and provides a large number of reaction sites, which can be fully in contact with organic molecules, thereby improving light capture and photocatalytic reaction activity. The Bi2S3 semiconductor has a bandgap of about 1.3 eV and has strong light absorption in the visible region. ZIF-67 has a band gap of about 1.98 eV, which is not only porous but also has a good band structure. The combination of Bi2S3 and ZIF-67 can not only expand the spectral absorption range, but also ZIF-67 can be used as Bi2S3 carrier, which is conducive to photogenic carrier separation, solving the problem of Bi2S3 easy aggregation, and improving the processing efficiency. The morphology and elemental composition of ZIF-67/Bi2S3 were studied by XRD, SEM and XPS, and the synthesis of ZIF-67/Bi2S3 was successful. The absorption capacity of visible light was studied by UV–Vis DRS, and it was confirmed that ZIF-67/Bi2S3 composite photocatalytic material has extensive absorption of light. The results show that the prepared ZIF-67/Bi2S3-40 % heterojunction has good photocatalytic performance. Under visible light irradiation, the degradation rate of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) by ZIF-67/ Bi2S3-40 % was 91.1 % within 90 min, which was 1.25 times and 4.6 times of the absorption efficiency of naked ZIF-67 and Bi2S3, respectively (72.4 % for ZIF-67 and 19.8 % for Bi2S3). Then the valence band and conduction band values of semiconductor materials were calculated by M−S curve, and finally the degradation mechanism of ZIF-67/Bi2S3 composite photocatalyst was deduced.

Research Progress on Inactivation of Bacteriophages by Visible-Light Photocatalytic Composite Materials: A Mini Review.

Infectious diseases caused by waterborne viruses have attracted researchers' great attention. To ensure a safe water environment, it is important to advance water treatment and disinfection technology. Photocatalytic technology offers an efficient and practical approach for achieving this goal. This paper reviews the latest studies on visible-light composite catalysts for bacteriophage inactivation, with a main focus on three distinct categories: modified UV materials, direct visible-light materials and carbon-based materials. This review gives an insight into the progress in photocatalytic material development and offers a promising solution for bacteriophage inactivation.

Interaction Mechanism Characterized by Bond Performance and Diffusion Performance between TiO2@LDO and Asphalt Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation.

In order to study the interaction between composite photocatalytic material TiO2@LDO and matrix asphalt, the four-component 12 molecular structure model of 70# matrix asphalt was optimized by using software Materials Studio 2020, and its heterostructure with TiO2@LDO composite was modeled. The bonding performance between asphalt and composite photocatalytic material was analyzed by interface energization, and the diffusion performance between asphalt and composite photocatalytic material was analyzed from the perspectives of particle movement and Z-direction density. By changing the temperature and other parameters in the simulation process, the change in bonding strength between TiO2@LDO and asphalt was investigated. Through the calculation and analysis of interaction energy, it was found that the adsorption and bonding strength between asphalt and TiO2@LDO were the strongest at 40 °C. At the same time, the diffusion performance was studied, and it was found that the molecular diffusion distribution of TiO2@LDO was more extensive at 60 °C, which laid the foundation for further blending of asphalt and TiO2@LDO. The simulation results show that TiO2@LDO molecules have a certain attraction to asphalt molecules and can modify the matrix asphalt to some extent.

Specific features of preparation of natural and technogenic mineral raw materials for the manufacture of photocatalytic composite materials

Specific features of preparation of natural and technogenic mineral raw materials for the manufacture of photocatalytic composite materials

Adsorption and Visible Photocatalytic Synergistic Removal of a Cationic Dye with the Composite Material BiVO4/MgAl–LDHs

Adsorption and photocatalysis are effective in removing organic pollutants from wastewater. This study is based on the memory effects of MgAl–layered double hydroxides (MgAl–LDHs) after high-temperature calcination. By introducing bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) during the reformation of the layered structure via contact with water, a composite material BiVO4/MgAl–LDHs with enhanced adsorption and visible light catalytic performance was synthesized. The effects of the calcination temperature, ratio, initial methylene blue (MB) concentration, and catalyst dosage on the adsorption and photocatalytic performance were investigated. The BiVO4/MgAl–LDHs showed better photocatalytic performance than the pure BiVO4 and MgAl–LDHs. Under the optimal conditions, the proportion of MB adsorbed in 20 min was 66.1%, and the percentage of MB degraded during 100 min of photolysis was 92.4%. The composite photocatalyst showed good chemical stability and cyclability, and the adsorption-degradation rate was 86% after four cycles. Analyses of the adsorption and photocatalytic mechanisms for the composite material showed that synergistic adsorption and visible light photocatalysis contributed to the excellent catalytic performance of the BiVO4/MgAl–LDHs. A highly adsorbent photocatalytic composite material exhibiting outstanding performance was prepared via a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method, providing reference information for the removal of organic pollutants from liquids.