Field Of Environmental Remediation Research Articles

S defect-rich MoS2 aerogel with hierarchical porous structure: Efficient photocatalysis and convenient reuse for removal of organic dyes

To avoid the difficulty of separating solids from liquids when reusing powder photocatalysts, 3D stereoscopic photocatalysts were constructed. In this study, three-dimensional S defect-rich MoS2 hierarchical aerogel was prepared by chemical cross-linking of functional ultrathin 2D MoS2. Its phase, micro-morphology and structure were characterized, and it was used in the study of photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Of the samples tested, MS@CA-3 (i.e., defect-rich 3D MoS2 aerogel with a loading of 30 mg of defect-rich MoS2) exhibited the best photocatalytic activity due to its suitable load, good light transmission, and a degradation rate of up to 91.0% after 3 h. In addition, MS@CA-3 aerogel offers high recyclability and structural stability, and the degradation rate of the organic pollutant methylene blue decreases only 9.8% after more than ten cycles of photocatalytic degradation. It combines the high catalytic performance of S defect-rich 2D MoS2 and the convenient reusability of hierarchical porous aerogel. This study provides valuable data and a reference for the practical promotion and application of photocatalytic technology in the field of environmental remediation.

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles using Lawsonia inermis for Enhanced Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater Treatment

<p>In response to the growing demand for eco-friendly and efficient catalysts in wastewater treatment, this study introduces a novel, biosynthesized silver nanoparticle (AgNP) using leaf extract from Lawsonia inermis, a widely available plant. We employed a unique concentration mixture of 0.015 mg/mL leaf extract and 2.0 mM silver nitrate to achieve optimal results under atmospheric conditions. Comprehensive characterization was conducted through X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. Remarkably, these Lawsonia inermis-synthesized AgNPs (LI-AgNPs) demonstrated superior catalytic degradation of organic pollutants, such as 4-nitrophenol, methylene blue, eosin yellow, and methyl orange. Among them, 4-nitrophenol was reduced most efficiently, following pseudo-first order kinetics. The LI-AgNPs exhibited unprecedented catalytic potential, evidenced by a sharp decline in methyl orange absorption and the emergence of a new hydrazine compound signal at 280 nm. With a catalytic loading as low as 0.2 mg/mL, we achieved an astounding 82.5% dye removal. This innovative approach advances the field of environmental remediation</p>

Hydrogen Nanobubbles Generated In Situ from Nanoscale Zerovalent Iron with Water to Further Enhance Selenite Sequestration.

Gas nanobubbles used for water treatment and recovery give rise to great concern for their unique advantages of less byproducts, higher efficiency, and environmental friendliness. Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI), which has also been widely explored in the field of environmental remediation, can generate gas hydrogen by direct reaction with water. Whether nanoscale hydrogen bubbles can be produced to enhance the pollution removal of the nZVI system is one significant concern involved. Herein, we report direct observations of in situ generation of hydrogen nanobubbles (HNBs) from nZVI in water. More importantly, the formed HNBs can enhance indeed the reduction of Se(IV) beyond the chemical reduction ascribed to Fe(0), especially in the anaerobic environment. The possible mechanism is that HNBs enhance the reducibility of the system and promote electron transport in the solution. This study demonstrates a unique function of HNBs combined with nZVI for the pollutant removal and a new approach for in situ HNB generation for potential applications in the fields of in situ remediation agriculture, biotechnology, medical treatment, health, etc.

High-efficiency decontamination of pharmaceutical wastewater: Synergistic effects from NaGdF4:Tm,Yb@Mn-MOFs composite photocatalysts

Water pollution caused by antibiotics poses a serious threat to human health and ecosystems. Rapid and efficient removal of antibiotic pollution in water by photocatalysts is one of the effective means to protect the environment and public health. Herein, a wide-spectral responsive upconversion NaGdF4:Yb,Tm@Mn-MOFs core-shell nanostructures were built by coating hexagonal NaGdF4:Yb,Tm cores with amino-functionalized manganese carboxylate MOFs (Mn-MOFs) shells, which exhibited good water dispersibility. Mn-MOFs catalysts is mainly concentrated in the ultraviolet region, while NaGdF4:Yb,Tm nanoparticles can transform infrared light into visible light or even higher energy ultraviolet light, which is harvested by the Mn-MOFs. The optimized nanostructures were tested under simulated solar light (After 120 min irradiation) in the degradation of tetracycline, oxytetracycline hydrochloride and tetracycline hydrochloride, while their degradation rates reached 70%, 72% and 75%, respectively. The better photocatalytic mechanism for antibiotics than its individual components was elucidated, which provides a potential strategy to broaden the full spectrum absorption of the wide bandgap semiconductors and apply for the field of environmental remediation.

P-n Junction catalysis in action: Boosting norfloxacin photodegradation with ZIF-67-based Co3O4 wrapped in MoS2 with surface functionalized graphene quantum-dot

The primary challenge in photocatalytic application is to address the inefficiency in exploiting the photo-induced charge carriers. The dynamic behaviors of photogenerated carriers can be controlled through an internal electric field by building a p-n heterojunction. In this respect, p-n heterojunctions constructed from zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) with further surface functionalization are uniquely active and can increase the charge separation due to a favorable band structure. Thus, the present work demonstrates the preparation of an excellent visible-light absorbing photocatalyst based on a Co3O4 from ZIF-67 wrapped with MoS2 and functionalized with graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which is evaluated for the photodegradation of norfloxacin. Under visible light irradiation, the as-designed GQDs-functionalized MoS2@Co3O4 p-n heterojunction photocatalyst outperforms the individual MoS2 and Co3O4 semiconductors. The remarkable degradation efficiency is mostly due to the formation of a p-n heterojunction between MoS2 and the ZIF-67-based Co3O4. The photocatalytic mechanism of the as-designed system is deduced from reactive species trapping studies. This study sheds light on the design of a photocatalytic system based on ZIF-67, and on the effect of surface functionalization, thereby expanding the potential practical application of these materials in the field of environmental remediation.

Plasma treatment enhanced piezo-photocatalytic performance of Bi2WO6 for efficient degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

Photocatalysis is limited by the high recombination rate of photogenerated e- and h+, but the piezoelectric effect can enhance the separation efficiency of charge carriers, so that the combining piezoelectric catalysis with photocatalysis is a highly promising approach for improving catalytic performance. In this study, aim to enhance piezo-photocatalytic performance, plasma treatment was applied to modify the surface of Bi2WO6 to form oxygen vacancies. After plasma treatment, Bi2WO6 exhibited a larger specific surface area, thinner thickness, narrower band gap, etc. These improvements have been confirmed to enhance the piezoelectric response of Bi2WO6, facilitate band bending and further improve the absorption of visible light, accelerate the separation of charge carriers, thus enhanced the piezo-photocatalytic activity. Consequently, utilization of plasma treatment had improved greatly the piezo-photocatalytic performance of Bi2WO6 for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. Impressively, plasma treatment promoted the generation of 1O2 during the piezo-photocatalytic reaction, emphasizing the advantages of utilizing plasma treatment for improving the performance of piezo-photocatalysts. This work highlights the use of plasma treatment to increase active sites and induce vacancy defects on the surface of catalysts, which exhibit excellent piezo-photocatalytic degradation performance and show great potential in the field of environmental remediation.

Synergistic self-driven and heterogeneous effect of a biomass-derived urchin-like Mn3O4/C3N4 Janus micromotor catalyst for efficient degradation of carbamazepine.

It is well known that obtaining efficient carbamazepine degradation materials or rapid carbamazepine-removal methods is still a challenge in the field of environmental remediation. Hence, the present study aimed to concurrently address these issues by combining a self-driven, heterostructured and low-cost biomass-templated urchin-like Janus micromotor catalyst for highly efficient carbamazepine degradation. The catalyst could autonomously move in a circle-like motion pattern via O2 bubbles generated from the Mn3O4-catalyzed decomposition of H2O2 with a velocity of 223.5 ± 7.0 μm s-1 in 1% H2O2. Benefiting from the well-structured heterojunction at the interface of C3N4 and Mn3O4, carbamazepine (CBZ) was degraded by 61% in 100 min under sunlight irradiation. In addition, density functional theory calculation results proved that the formation of the heterojunction structure promoted the generation of photo-generated carriers. Thus, the presented method provides a promising pathway for the rational construction and preparation of movable catalysts for the efficient removal of organic pollutants from wastewater.

Enhanced Fe(ii)/Fe(iii) cycle by boron enabled efficient Cr(vi) removal with microscale zero-valent iron.

Recently, researchers have been paying much attention to zero-valent iron (ZVI) in the field of pollution remediation. However, the depressed electron transport from the iron reservoir to the iron oxide shell limited the wide application of ZVI. This study was aimed at promoting the performance of microscale ZVI (mZVI) for hexavalent chromium (Cr(vi)) removal by accelerating iron cycle with the addition of boron powder. It was found that the addition of boron powder enhanced the Cr(vi) removal rate by 2.1 times, and the proportion of Cr(iii) generation after Cr(vi) removal process also increased, suggesting that boron could promote the reduction pathway of Cr(vi) to Cr(iii). By further comparing the Cr(vi) removal percentage of Fe(iii) with or without the boron powder, we found that boron powder could promote the percentage removal of Cr(vi) with Fe(iii) from 10.1% to 33.6%. Moreover, the presence of boron powder could decrease the potential gap values (ΔEp) between Fe(iii) reduction and Fe(ii) oxidation from 0.668 V to 0.556 V, further indicating that the added boron powder could act as an electron sacrificial agent to promote the reduction process of Fe(iii) to Fe(ii), and thus enhancing the reduction of Cr(vi) with Fe(ii). This study shed light on the promoted mechanism of Cr(vi) removal with boron powder and provided an environmentally friendly and efficient approach to enhance the reactivity of the mZVI powder, which would benefit the wide application of mZVI technology in the environmental remediation field.

Micro/nanomotors for neuromodulation.

Micro-nanomotors (MNMs) are micro/nanoscale intelligent devices with vast potential in the fields of drug delivery, precision medicine, biosensing, and environmental remediation. Their primary advantage lies in their ability to convert various forms of external energy (such as magnetic, ultrasonic, and light energy) into their own propulsive force. Additionally, MNMs offer high controllability and modifiability, enabling them to navigate in the microscopic world. Importantly, recent research has harnessed the unique advantages of MNMs to synergize their capabilities in neuromodulation. This mini-review presents the significant progress and pioneering achievements in the use of MNMs for neuromodulation, with the aim of inspiring readers to explore the broader biomedical applications of these MNMs. Through continuous innovation and diligent exploration, MNMs show promise to have a profound impact on the field of biomedicine.

A review on sustainable iron oxide nanoparticles: syntheses and applications in organic catalysis and environmental remediation

In this review paper, recent developments of iron oxide nanoparticles are highlighted and discussed in the field of organic catalysis and environmental remediation.

Advancements in removing common antibiotics from wastewater using nano zero valent iron.

The pollutants such as heavy metals, organic matter, and nitrates in soil and water pose challenges to environmental remediation technology. Nano zero valent iron has shown enormous potential in the field of environmental remediation due to its excellent adsorption performance. By using carbon based materials, rock minerals, biomolecules, etc., as supporting materials for nZVI, and through structural and performance modifications, its performance has been successfully optimized, reducing defects such as aggregation and easy oxidation of the material. This article compares and summarizes the modification effects of different loadings on nZVI, and comprehensively reviews the latest progress, preparation methods, and application of nZVI particles in soil and water remediation. Specifically, this article explores in detail the impact and mechanism of nZVI particles in commonly used antibiotics contaminated environments. Firstly, the combination methods of different types of materials with zero valent iron, as well as the synthesis methods and application scenarios of nZVI, were integrated. Secondly, the interaction mechanism between pollutants and nZVI was introduced in detail, including adsorption, redox reactions, and co-precipitation. Subsequently, environmental factors that affect repair efficiency were emphasized, such as pH value, coexisting components, oxygen, contact time, and temperature. Finally, the challenges faced by the application of nZVI in actual polluted soil and water bodies, as well as the prospects for its long-term efficacy and safety evaluation, are proposed to promote further development in the future.

Constructing of GQDs/ZnO S-scheme heterojunction as efficient piezocatalyst for environmental remediation and understanding the charge transfer mechanism

Highly efficient catalysts are challenging in the fields of environmental remediation. In this work, for the first time, we combined graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and piezocatalytic materials (ZnO) to construct a novel S-scheme GQDs/ZnO heterojunction via facile method. The obtained GQDs/ZnO heterojunction presented excellent piezocatalytic activity such as higher reaction kinetic rate constant (0.051 min−1) and degradation efficiency (96.1 % within 60 min) as well as superior stability toward methyl orange (MO) dye degradation, far exceeding those of pure ZnO and most reported other typical piezocatalysts. This superior piezocatalytic performance of GQDs/ZnO could be ascribed to S-scheme heterojunction facilitating charge carrier transfer and separation, and enhancing the redox ability as well as the formation atomic-level interfacial bridge of Zn–C–O bond at GQDs/ZnO interface. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated the charge transfer path of GQDs/ZnO S-scheme heterojunction and provided a novel understanding for S-scheme heterojunction mechanism in piezocatalytic field, which supports the experimental evidences of S-scheme heterojunction. This research provides an effective strategy to modulate charge transfer from the atomic level, highlighting an innovative insight for the practical application of highly efficient piezocatalysts in environmental remediation.

Revisiting the urease production of MICP-relevant bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii during cultivation

The ureolytic bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii is commonly used for Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). This process has a variety of applications in the fields of construction, geotechnical engineering, and environmental remediation. However, the factors influencing urease activity of S. pasteurii during cultivation are not yet fully understood. Even though there is debate over whether higher urease activity is in fact beneficial for MICP applications, knowledge about urease production can help provide ureolytic biomass more cost-effectively, reducing overall production costs. This study revisits the effect of various cultivation conditions on growth and urease activity by using an automated high-throughput microbioreactor system combined with a novel system for high-throughput urease activity quantification. This experimental set-up allows for unprecedented data density and enables new insights into urease production of S. pasteurii.Several factors were tested, including oxygen limitation, the feeding of urea, choice of ammonium salt, the proportion of ammonium salt in the medium, and lowering the pH during cultivation; none of these had a notable impact on urease production. Only the addition of a broad spectrum of nutrients through regular feeding with highly concentrated yeast extract and glucose led to a 70 % increased specific urease activity compared to a batch culture.These results can improve the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms governing urease expression in S. pasteurii during cultivation, and allow to adapt the cultivation process accordingly. Additionally, the new system for automated high-throughput enzyme activity determination presented in this study could be applied to optimize bioprocesses involving other ion producing enzymes.

Atacamite (Cu2Cl(OH)3) as catalyst of different AOPs for water disinfection

Atacamite (Cu2Cl(OH)3) is a natural mineral normally used as a pigment, but this study explores its photocatalytic activity in order to be used for water treatment applications, specifically, the removal of Enterococcus faecalis for reclamation of wastewater. The research demonstrates that the system atacamite/solar radiation yields efficient bacterial inactivation (total inactivation in 90 min with 100 mg/L of atacamite). The addition of oxidants such as peroxymonosulfate (PMS), persulfate (PS), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), to the system allowed for an increase in the kinetic of the system by promoting the reaction between the oxidants and the catalyst. The optimized system requires a concentration of 0.3 mM of oxidants and 50 mg/L of atacamite under solar radiation. Notably, the system with PMS exhibits exceptional performance, reaching total inactivation of E. faecalis in 30 min. The determination of synergistic indices for the treatments revealed that the system using PMS and PS has a synergistic effect with values of 1.42 and 1.62, respectively. However, the system using H2O2 exhibited an antagonistic behavior with a value of 0.74. Moreover, from the perspective of energy consumption efficiency, the incorporation of PMS allows for a lower energy consumption per unit of Enterococcus faecalis removal, as demonstrated by the Electric Energy per Order (EEO) Figure of Merit. The qualitative study for determination of oxidizing species involved in the reactions was performed mainly using different scavengers as MeOH, TBA and EDTA, and additionally the concentration of free chlorine generated in the system was measured. The study revealed that the PMS/atacamite/solar radiation system involves a higher number of oxidizing species, consistent with the observed results related to the kinetics of removal. Further investigation and optimization of this innovative approach hold promise for future applications in the field of water purification and environmental remediation.

A S-type 2D/2D heterojunction via intercalating ultrathin g-C3N4 into NH4V4O10 nanosheets and the boosted removal of ciprofloxacin

Exploring cheap, eco-friendliness, and highly efficiency photocatalysts for improving the degradation performance of ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a challenge in the environmental remediation field. Herein, 2D/2D ultrathin g-C3N4/NH4V4O10 (CNNS/NH4V4O10) heterojunction is successfully prepared by intercalating g-C3N4 nanosheets into the ultrathin NH4V4O10 nanobelts. For the optimized 50-CNNS/NH4V4O10, the removal rate is 92% for 10 mg·L−1 CIP under simulated solar light, far better than the separated components CNNS and NH4V4O10. Moreover, the wide degraded concentration of CIP ranges from 5 to 40 mg·L−1 devotes a prospect of practical application. The mechanism investigation confirms the intercalating action can break the interlaminar bonding linkage of NH4, which increases the surface NH4+ content and promotes the steered adsorption capacity toward ciprofloxacin through binding to F- in CIP via H-bonding. This work provides a novel design idea for constructing 2D/2D intercalated nanocomposite for the application in the removal of the deleterious fluoric-containing organic pollutants in water environment.

Synthesis and characterisation of magnesium-wrapped hydroxyapatite nanomaterials for biomedical applications

The advancement of novel nanobiomaterials holds significant importance in the fields of drug delivery and environmental remediation. Hydroxyapatite, which falls under the category of bioceramic materials, has demonstrated efficacy as a bone graft material. The substitution of cations in hydroxyapatite has been found to enhance its biological properties, making it a promising material for various biomedical applications. In this study, the synthesis of Mg2+ substituted hydroxyapatite nanostructures was conducted through the sol-gel method employing different surfactants, namely polyethylene glycol and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The resulting nanoparticles were subjected to analysis to evaluate their structural, morphological, and optical characteristics. The antimicrobial and antioxidant behavior of the Mg2+ doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were also studied. The XRD analysis showed a hexagonal crystal structure for Mg2+ doped hydroxyapatite nanostructures for all samples. The Raman and FTIR results also confirmed the successful substitution of divalent cation Mg2+ in hydroxyapatite. EDAX results exhibited the qualitative elemental composition and stoichiometric nature of synthesized hydroxyapatite. The optical study showed higher transmission in the visible region for the Mg2+ doped hydroxyapatite prepared using various surfactants. The microbial restriction efficacy of Mg2+ doped hydroxyapatite prepared using various surfactants was examined against human pathogenic bacterias Shigella flexneri (MTCC-2197), Escherichia coli (MTCC-4213), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC-3131), Klebseilla pneumoniae (MTCC-1214), and Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC-3123). The hydroxyapatite nano biomaterial doped with Mg2+ demonstrates remarkable antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. The HeLa cell lines exhibited significant cytotoxicity when exposed to magnesium ion-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles.

Efficient Ag+ adsorption of in-vivo thiol-functionalized diatoms and its application for sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Diatom silica frustules are recognized as a valuable biomaterial with hierarchically porous silica structures and can be used for many applications. To obtain targeted functional diatom-based materials, many strategies have been explored, mainly focusing on diatomite (fossilized diatoms) but rarely on living diatom silica frustules. In this work, the frustules of living diatoms (T. weissflogii) were in-vivo functionalized with thiol (-SH) groups by using (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as silicon source, through living biomineralization process. The -SH groups were homogeneously distributed in diatom biosilica structures, as revealed by FIB-TEM-EDS result. Two applications of thiol-functionalized frustules were demonstrated. The first was for Ag+ adsorption, showing significantly enhanced adsorption capacity (87.59 mg·g−1) compared with unmodified frustules (33.21 mg·g−1). The adsorption data and the spectroscopic and microscopic analyses revealed that the inner-sphere complexation of -SH with Ag+ was the primary mechanism. The second application showed that Ag+-loaded diatom frustules exhibited a significant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which can be used for detecting methylene blue and rhodamine 6G. The charge transfer resonance between Ag2S and probe molecules makes the primary contribution to the distinct enhancement of Raman signals. These findings demonstrate that these in-vivo functionalized -SH groups on diatom silica frustules can still maintain their excellent chemical reactivities, suggesting that this modification strategy could be extended to modify living diatom silica frustules with other functional groups. This study is of great significance for developing functional materials from living diatoms and their applications in the fields of environmental remediation, biosensing, and drug delivery, etc.

Spatial distribution prediction of soil heavy metals based on sparse sampling and multi-source environmental data

Predicting the precise spatial distribution of heavy metals in soil is crucial, especially in the fields of environmental management and remediation. However, achieving accurate spatial predictions of soil heavy metals becomes quite challenging when the number of soil sampling points is relatively limited. To address this challenge, this study proposes a hybrid approach, namely, Light Gradient Boosting Machine plus Ordinary Kriging (LGBK), for predicting the spatial distribution of soil heavy metals. A total of 137 soil samples were collected from the Shengli Coal-mine Base in Inner Mongolia, China, and their heavy metal concentrations were measured. Leveraging environmental covariates and soil heavy metal data, we constructed the predictive model. Experimental results demonstrate that, in comparison to traditional models, LGBK exhibits superior predictive performance. For copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and arsenic (As), the coefficients of determination (R²) from the cross-validation results are 0.65, 0.52, 0.57, and 0.63, respectively. Moreover, the LGBK model excels in capturing intricate spatial features in heavy metal distribution. It accurately forecasts trends in heavy metal distribution that closely align with actual measurements. Environmental ImplicationThis study introduces a novel method, LGBK, for predicting the spatial distribution of soil heavy metals. This method yields higher-precision predictions even with a limited number of sampling points. Furthermore, the study analyzes the spatial distribution characteristics of Cu, Zn, Cr, and As in the grassland coal-mine base, along with the key environmental factors influencing their spatial distribution. This research holds significant importance for the environmental regulation and remediation of heavy metal pollution.

Preparation of PbBiO2I ultrathin nanosheets with rich oxygen vacancies for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities

Photocatalytic oxidation technology is deemed as a prospective approach to settle the global environmental crisis. Nevertheless, the photocatalytic performance is limited by the insufficient solar light harvesting ability and disappointing charge carrier separation efficiency of photocatalysts. Herein, PbBiO2I ultrathin nanosheets with tunable oxygen vacancy (OV) concentrations were successfully fabricated via ionothermal process. The crystal structure, morphology and photoelectrochemical properties of the acquired catalysts were systematically studied. The photocatalytic degradation results demonstrate that rich oxygen vacancy (ROV) PbBiO2I possesses the highest photocatalytic degradation activity, which is about 2.9 and 35.0 times higher than those of deficient oxygen vacancy (DOV) PbBiO2I and bulk PbBiO2I in rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. The enhanced visible-light absorption region arising from bulk oxygen vacancy and surface oxygen vacancy can serve as highly active sites for catalytic reaction. This contributes to enriching electrons to accelerate oxygen molecular activation and boost charge separation. Additionally, superoxide radicals (O2•-) and holes (h+) are proved to be the major reactive species during photocatalytic process. By which, a feasible photocatalytic mechanism was primarily proposed. This research can offer a new avenue for developing bismuth-based defective photocatalyst in the field of environmental remediation.

Bismuth dichalcogenide-exfoliated Bi2Se3 nanosheets: A novel approach for hexavalent chromium and azo compound photocatalysis

A promising approach for the photocatalytic degradation of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] and azo compounds in wastewater involves utilizing exfoliated nanosheets derived from bismuth dichalcogenide crystals, specifically Bi2Se3. In this study, we synthesized Bi2Se3 nanosheets through a straightforward sonication method using N, N-Dimethylformamide as the solvent. The resulting Bi2Se3 nanosheets displayed substantial surface areas, layered sheet structures resembling rocks, and exhibited single crystalline characteristics, featuring an optical bandgap of 5.30 eV and a lattice spacing of 0.505 nm. Photocatalytic assessments employing methyl orange (MO) and Cr(VI) as model pollutants demonstrated remarkable efficiency, achieving degradation rates of up to 81.2% within 240 min and 88.4% within 60 min, respectively, under visible light exposure. Both reactions adhered to pseudo-first-order kinetics, with kinetic constants (k) of 0.0038 min−1 for MO and 0.007 min−1 for Cr(VI). The underlying photocatalytic mechanism involved the transfer of electrons from the Bi2Se3 nanosheets to the pollutants adsorbed on their surface, resulting in the efficient detoxification of wastewater. This investigation underscores the potential of exfoliated Bi2Se3 nanosheets as exceptionally effective and environmentally sustainable photocatalysts for the remediation of wastewater contaminated with Cr(VI) and MO, making significant contributions to the field of environmental remediation. This research not only provides insights into the novel utilization of Bi2Se3 nanosheets but also addresses urgent environmental issues, indicating its potential significance in promoting sustainable wastewater treatment methods.