Organic Dyes In Wastewater Research Articles

3D porous β-cyclodextrin grafted graphene oxide/sodium alginate superhydrophilic natural polysaccharide-based aerogel for solar steam generation

Solar steam generation (SSG) emerges as a paramount technology for efficient and sustainable desalination and wastewater purification. The innovative development of porous aerogel materials for solar steam generation heralds a new era in photothermal materials. In this study, a category of β-cyclodextrin-grafted graphene oxide/sodium anionic polysaccharide alginate composite aerogels (named GO-CD/SA) with solar steam generation behavior and wastewater purification properties is developed. GO-CD/SA demonstrates remarkable properties, including an impressive solar absorption efficiency of approximately 97.4 %, a low thermal conductivity of just 0.124 W m−1 K−1 in a wetted state, and exceptional superhydrophilicity. These attributes collectively contribute to GO-CD/SA achieving an evaporation rate of 1.79 kg m−2 h−1 when utilized with pure water. Furthermore, GO-CD/SA features an abundant three-dimensional porous structure (88.07 % porosity) and superhydrophilic properties that promote the rapid reflux of salt solution between the pore channels. This, in turn, enables excellent salt resistance, with no noticeable salt crystals precipitating during continuous evaporation in 20 % high concentration brine for 6 h. GO-CD/SA also demonstrates outstanding purification capabilities for organic dye wastewater and heavy metal ion wastewater. Therefore, this work combines the advantages of salt tolerance and wastewater treatment, paving the way for the exploration of natural polysaccharide-based photothermal materials.

Poloxamer 407 Combined with Polyvinylpyrrolidone To Prepare a High-Performance Poly(ether sulfone) Ultrafiltration Membrane.

At present, the design and fabrication of polymer membranes with high permeability and good retention ability are still huge challenges. In this study, the commercial Poloxamer 407 (Pluronic F127) is selected as a multifunctional additive, and polyvinylpyrrolidone is used as a pore-forming agent to modify the poly(ether sulfone) membrane by liquid-liquid phase conversion technology to prepare an ultrafiltration membrane with excellent performance. The hydrophobic poly(propylene oxide) segment in Poloxamer 407 guarantees that this copolymer can be firmly anchored to the poly(ether sulfone) matrix, and the hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) segments in Poloxamer 407 impart a stronger hydrophilic nature to the modified membrane surface. Therefore, the permeability and hydrophilicity of the modified membrane are significantly improved and the modified membrane also has good stability. When the amount of Poloxamer 407 added to the casting solution reached 0.6 g, the water flux of the modified membrane was as high as 368 L m-2 h-1, and the rejection rate of bovine serum albumin was close to 98%. In the test to isolate organic small molecule dyes, the retention rate of the modified membrane to Congo red is 94.27%. In addition, the modified membrane shows an excellent water flux recovery rate and antifouling ability. It performs well in subsequent cycle tests and long-term membrane life tests and can be used repeatedly. Our work has resulted in poly(ether sulfone) membranes with good performance, which show great potential in the treatment of biomedical wastewater and the removal of industrial organic dye wastewater, it provides ideas for the development and application of amphiphilic polymer materials.

Facile construction of lignin-based network composite hydrogel for efficient adsorption of methylene blue from wastewater

Adsorption method is an effective approach to treat wastewater containing methylene blue. Herein, a cost-effective and eco-friendly lignin-based network composite hydrogel adsorbent (PAA@SML) was constructed by using polyacrylic acid (PAA) to crosslink with sulfomethylated lignin (SML) via free radical polymerization for adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from wastewater. The constructed PAA@SML-0.2 exhibited remarkable adsorption performance towards removal of MB, with a maximum theoretical adsorption capacity of 777.1 mg·g−1. The improved efficiency can be attributed to the well-established network structure and abundant hydrophilic functional groups present in the adsorbent, promoting the interaction between methylene blue (MB) molecules and the adsorption sites of the adsorbent. The adsorption process of the adsorbent for MB followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Langmuir isotherm models, which illustrated the adsorption process attributed to monolayer chemisorption. Mechanism investigation confirmed that the adsorption of MB by PAA@SML-0.2 primarily relied on hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Moreover, the recyclability test demonstrated excellent regeneration usability and stability of PAA@SML-0.2, and the adsorption capacity maintained above 74.0 % after five cycles. This constructed lignin-based network composite hydrogel is considered to have great potential in the treatment of organic dye in wastewater.

Polydopamine/Fe3O4 modified wood-based evaporator for efficient and continuous water purification

Solar interfacial evaporation is a highly promising technology for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment, while the simple preparation processes and efficient production of clean water based on biomass interfacial evaporators still need further exploration and development. Here, we reported a wood-based evaporator (PFDW) loaded with Fe3O4 and polydopamine (PDA) after simple immersion treatment at room temperature for efficient and continuous water purification. The synergistic photothermal effect of PDA coating and Fe3O4 particles enables the evaporator to achieve high photothermal conversion efficiency in the longer wavelength range, while combined with the rapid water transport capacity endowed by the vertically aligned microporous structure of natural wood, it achieved an evaporation rate of 1.70 kg m-2h−1 and an energy efficiency of 98.0% under 1 kW m−2 irradiation. In addition, the prepared PFDW exhibited sustainable desalination stability and excellent removal efficiency for different water sources including organic dye wastewater, heavy metal effluent, oil–water emulsion and river water. This work provides a new avenue for efficient salt-tolerant portable evaporators.

Efficient Solar Desalination of Seawater Using a Novel Carbon Nanotube-Based Composite Aerogel.

Solar desalination of seawater is an effective approach to address the scarcity of freshwater resources. For solar steam generation, it is critical to design biodegradable, sustainable, low-cost, and high-evaporation-rate technology. This study aims to develop a novel solar desalination technology by designing and fabricating a nanocomposite material with excellent light absorption and thermal conversion properties. We designed a double-layer aerogel structure, which uses naturally abundant carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the basic skeleton to achieve sustainability and biodegradability, and uses carbon nanotubes as the photothermal material for efficient light absorption to prepare a ferric tannate/carbon nanotube/carboxymethyl cellulose composite aerogel (FT-CNT-CMC aerogel). Experimental results demonstrate that the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel exhibits a high light absorption rate of 96-98% within the spectral range of 250-2400 nm, showcasing remarkable photothermal conversion performance. Under a sun intensity of 1 kW·m-2, the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel achieves a significant evaporation rate of 1.942 kg·m-2·h-1 at room temperature. Moreover, the excellent performance of the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel is validated in practical seawater desalination and organic dye wastewater purification. The FT-CNT-CMC aerogel exhibits a retention rate exceeding 99% for Na+, Mg2+, K+, and Ca2+ ions in simulated seawater, while no characteristic absorption peaks are observed in methylene blue and rhodamine B dye solutions after purification. These findings highlight the promising potential of the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel in the field of novel solar desalination, providing a viable solution to obtain freshwater.

Selective adsorption of organic dyes from aqueous environment using fermented maize extract-enhanced graphene oxide-durian shell derived activated carbon composite

A secure aquatic environment is essential for both aquatic and terrestrial life. However, rising populations and the industrial revolution have had a significant impact on the quality of the water environment. Despite the implementation of strong and adapted environmental policies for water treatment worldwide, the issue of organic dyes in wastewater remains challenging. Thus, this study aimed to develop an efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable material to treat methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous environment. In this research, maize extract solution (MES) was utilized as a green cross-linker to induce precipitation, conjugation, and enhance the adsorption performance of graphene oxide (GO) cross-linked with durian shell activated carbon (DSAC), resulting in the formation of a GO@DSAC composite. The composite was investigated for its adsorptive performance toward MB in aqueous media. The physicochemical characterization demonstrated that the cross-linking method significantly influenced the porous structure and surface chemistry of GO@DSAC. BET analysis revealed that the GO@DSAC exhibited dominant mesopores with a surface area of 803.67 m2/g. EDX and XPS measurements confirmed the successful cross-linking of GO with DSAC. The adsorption experiments were well described by the Harkin-Jura model and they followed pseudo-second order kinetics. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 666.67 mg/g at 318 K. Thermodynamic evaluation indicated a spontaneous, feasible, and endothermic in nature. Regenerability and reusability investigations demonstrated that the GO@DSAC composite could be reused for up to 10 desorption-adsorption cycles with a removal efficiency of 81.78%. The selective adsorptive performance of GO@DSAC was examined in a binary system containing Rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene orange (MO). The results showed a separation efficiency (α) of 98.89% for MB/MO and 93.66% for MB/RhB mixtures, underscoring outstanding separation capabilities of the GO@DSAC composite. Overall, the GO@DSAC composite displayed promising potential for the effective removal of cationic dyes from wastewater.

Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline by Modifying UiO-66 via Different Regulation Strategies.

Wastewater containing organic pollutants cause potential harm to the environment and human health. A series of zirconium-organic frameworks (UiO-66) and their composites were synthesized by solvothermal methods, including band gap adjustment, heterojunction construction, and metal ion doping. For the model pollutant tetracycline (TC), all of the prepared catalysts could achieve effective degradation of it. Therein, the degradation efficiency of tetracycline could reach 95% under the UV irradiation with the aid of the catalyst, in which the UiO-66-NDC was modified with P-C3N4. The free radical capture experiments demonstrated that the superoxide radical (•O2-) was the main oxidizing species for the photodegradation of tetracycline. Hence, the improvement strategy of the catalyst would provide some enlightenment for the development of more efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of organic dyes in wastewater.

Full biomass-derived multifunctional aerogel for solar-driven interfacial evaporation

Developing high-efficient utilization of thermal energy, excellent water transport path and mechanical stablility of biochar based solar-driven interfacial evaporator (SDIE) is critical for but still challenge. Herein, a three-dimensional network of porous scaffolds aerogel is prepared by cross-linking hydrophilic plantain cellulose (PC) and biomass hollow carbon tubes (HCTs) with excellent photothermal properties. The HCTs and PC winding with each other, the water adsorption by PC and desorption by HCTs which improve water evaporation. Under 1.0 sun illumination, the optimized PC@HCTs aerogel temperature on gas-liquid interface rapidly reach to 46.7 °C and the evaporation rate is 1.86 kg m−2h−1. In addition, PC@HCTs aerogel possess excellent water evaporation under high concentration of salt solutions and salt tolerance ability. Moreover, the PC@HCTs aerogel has obvious purification effect for seawater, heavy metal ion solution, oil-water emulsion and organic dye wastewater. Importantly, the dry PC@HCTs possesses excellent hardness while hyperelasticity in water. More importantly, the PC@HCTs aerogel with green recyclability which change the growth environment of sand and plants healthier, thus take materials from nature and final regress to nature. This work has the great scientific significance to promote the actual use of biochar based solar steam evaporators.

Synthesis of porous Mn/Co composite oxides as an efficient peroxymonosulfate activator for removal of methylene blue

Co3O4 has been regarded as a promising heterogeneous catalyst for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to remove organic pollutants. However, its catalytic ability needs to be further improved from a practical point of view. In this work, we prepared porous Mn/Co bimetallic composite oxides as PMS activator via a facile oxalate route. A series of composites with different Mn/Co molar ratios were prepared, and their catalytic performances were comparatively assessed using methylene blue (MB) as the degradation model. The results showed that the catalyst with a Mn/Co molar ratio of 1:2 (Mn1Co2) exhibited optimal MB removal efficiency. More than 90% of MB could be removed within 25 min under the reaction conditions: catalyst dosage of 0.04 g·L−1, PMS concentration of 0.6 mmol·L−1, pH range of 5–9, and reaction temperature of 25 °C. Moreover, •OH, •SO4-, •O2- and 1O2 were identified as reactive oxygen species in the reaction system according to the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results. Besides, it was found that a MB degradation rate over 83% could be maintained after five consecutive recycling runs, indicating the excellent catalytic stability of Mn1Co2. The superb catalytic performance of Mn1Co2 is ascribed to both higher cobalt content and the synergistic effect between Mn and Co. Therefore, it is expected that porous bimetallic Mn1Co2 composite oxides have good application prospects in treating organic dye wastewater.

Preparation of Reusable Porous Carbon Nanofibers from Oxidized Coal Liquefaction Residue for Efficient Adsorption in Water Treatment.

Porous carbon nanofibers are commonly used for adsorption processes owing to their high specific surface area and rich pore structure. However, the poor mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based porous carbon nanofibers have limited their applications. Herein, we introduced solid waste-derived oxidized coal liquefaction residue (OCLR) into PAN-based nanofibers to obtain activated reinforced porous carbon nanofibers (ARCNF) with enhanced mechanical properties and regeneration for efficient adsorption of organic dyes in wastewater. This study examined the effects of contact time, concentration, temperature, pH, and salinity on the adsorption capacity. The adsorption processes of the dyes in ARCNF are appropriately described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacity for malachite green (MG) on ARCNF is 2712.84 mg g-1 according to the fitted parameters of the Langmuir model. Adsorption thermodynamics indicated that the adsorptions of the five dyes are spontaneous and endothermic processes. In addition, ARCNF have good regenerative performance, and the adsorption capacity of MG is still higher than 76% after 5 adsorption-desorption cycles. Our prepared ARCNF can efficiently adsorb organic dyes in wastewater, reducing the pollution to the environment and providing a new idea for solid waste recycling and water treatment.

Preparation of Fe-Lignin/Geopolymer Porous Microspheres for Catalytic Degradation of Dye Wastewater

To overcome the shortcomings of existing Fenton catalysts, such as secondary contamination caused by iron-containing sludge, harsh pH acidic conditions, poor recovery and recycling performance, and difficult separation, an Fe-loaded geopolymer microsphere (Fe-GLM) with a high specific surface area (68.5 m2/g), pore volume (0.0596 cm3/g), and excellent Fenton catalytic performance was prepared in this paper for dye wastewater treatment. Degradation experiments for organic dye wastewater show that the degradation ability and morphological structure of Fe-GLM does not change after multiple cycles, achieving a degradation and removal rate of more than 99%. Fe-GLM can be used to degrade both anionic dye and cationic dye wastewater in the pH range of 2–10 showing excellent catalytic performance.

Chemical synthesis of silver/titanium dioxide nanoheteroparticles for eradicating pathogenic bacteria and photocatalytically degrading organic dyes in wastewater

Titanium dioxide photocatalysis is a promising technology for the treatment of pollutants in wastewater. However, it remains challenging to overcome its inherent drawbacks, such as a high recombination rate of photogenerated charges and low solar-energy utilization. Herein, Ag/TiO 2 nanoheteroparticles (ATNs) were synthesized using a modified deposition method, and their physical, chemical, antibacterial, and photocatalytic properties were subsequently analyzed. The ATNs with 8 wt% Ag deposition exhibited an excellent antibacterial activity. For Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of ATNs were 250.00, 62.50, 125.00, 250.00, and 62.50 mg/L, whereas the minimum bactericidal concentrations were 250.00, 1000.00, 125.00, 250.00, and 1000.00 mg/L, respectively. The antibacterial activity of the ATNs could be correlated to the amount of Ag deposition. Furthermore, the ATNs with 3 wt% Ag deposition showed 90.1% rhodamine B degradation under simulated sunlight conditions in 90 min. The optimum Ag deposition of 8 wt% effectively promoted the efficient separation of optical charges and improved the photocatalytic properties of the catalyst. Therefore, the ATN composite materials can eliminate pathogenic bacteria and degrade organic pollutants in wastewater. The synthesized ATNs exhibit significant application potential in the field of wastewater treatment.

Electrospinning Novel Sodium Alginate/MXene Nanofiber Membranes for Effective Adsorption of Methylene Blue.

Understanding how to develop highly efficient and robust adsorbents for the removal of organic dyes in wastewater is crucial in the face of the rapid development of industrialization. Herein, d-Ti3C2Tx nanosheets (MXene) were combined with sodium alginate (SA), followed by electrospinning and successive Ca2+-mediated crosslinking, giving rise to a series of SA/MXene nanofiber membranes (NMs). The effects of the MXene content of the NMs on the adsorption performance for methylene blue (MB) were investigated systemically. Under the optimum MXene content of 0.74 wt.%, SA/MXene NMs possessed an MB adsorption capacity of 440 mg/g, which is much higher than SA/MXene beads with the same MXene content, pristine MXene, or electrospinning SA NMs. Furthermore, the optimum SA/MXene NMs showed excellent reusability. After the adsorbent was reused ten times, both the MB adsorption capacity and removal rate could remain at 95% of the levels found in the fresh samples, which indicates that the electrospinning technique has great potential for developing biomass-based adsorbents with high efficiency.

Application of Photocatalysis and Sonocatalysis for Treatment of Organic Dye Wastewater and the Synergistic Effect of Ultrasound and Light.

Organic dyes play vital roles in the textile industry, while the discharge of organic dye wastewater in the production and utilization of dyes has caused significant damage to the aquatic ecosystem. This review aims to summarize the mechanisms of photocatalysis, sonocatalysis, and sonophotocatalysis in the treatment of organic dye wastewater and the recent advances in catalyst development, with a focus on the synergistic effect of ultrasound and light in the catalytic degradation of organic dyes. The performance of TiO2-based catalysts for organic dye degradation in photocatalytic, sonocatalytic, and sonophotocatalytic systems is compared. With significant synergistic effect of ultrasound and light, sonophotocatalysis generally performs much better than sonocatalysis or photocatalysis alone in pollutant degradation, yet it has a much higher energy requirement. Future research directions are proposed to expand the fundamental knowledge on the sonophotocatalysis process and to enhance its practical application in degrading organic dyes in wastewater.

Water/oil nanoemulsion-based synthesis of BixSn6-2xSy (0.33 ≤ × ≤ 2.95) semiconductor QDs for efficient photocatalytic degradation of MB dye.

The development of efficient photocatalysts for the photodegradation of organic dyes in wastewater is highly worthwhile. Herein, the nanoemulsion tactic was utilized to synthesize BixSn6-2xSy (0.33 ≤ x ≤ 2.95) photocatalysts with morphological structures that changed from nanowhiskers to quantum dots (QDs). The optical properties of these materials were examined by UV-visible absorbance spectroscopy and photoluminescence, while Mott-Schottky analysis was utilized to study their electronic properties. BixSn6-2xSy materials exhibit appreciable absorption in the UV-visible light range with a direct band gap that increases from 1.23 to 1.46 eV. Both crystal structure and composition greatly affect the photocatalytic activity of BixSn6-2xSy semiconductors. Among the various synthesized photocatalysts, BiSn4S4.5 can efficiently photodegrade methylene blue dye (MB) in the shortest time under UV-visible light. The photocatalytic activity is positively affected by the change of crystal structure from orthorhombic to cubic symmetry. Based on the Mott-Schottky plots, the flat band potential (Efb) and the semiconductor behavior of the fabricated BixSn6-2xSy nanomaterials were determined. The obtained Efb values for SnS, Bi0.33Sn5.34S5.8, BiSn4S5.5, and Bi2.14Sn1.71S4.7 are -0.18 V, -0.42 V, -0.53 V, and -0.51 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively. The Efb value is clearly shifted towards more negative potential values with increasing the Bi molar ratio (x). However, Bi2.95Sn0.1S4.5 semiconductor was found to be of n-type character, having a positive Efb value of +0.66 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Photocurrent and EISresponses confirm the high stability and photocatalytic activity of BiSn4S5.5, which also achieves the lowest charge transfer resistance. The modified electronic properties of the BixSn6-2xSy semiconductors significantly improve their photocatalytic activity, rendering them to be promising absorbers for sunlight harvesting applications.

Optimization of crystal violet photodegradation and investigation of the antibacterial performance by silver-doped titanium dioxide/graphene aerogel nanocomposite

In this study, silver-doped titanium dioxide/graphene aerogel (Ag–TiO2/GA ‒ ATG) was synthesized using the simple hydrothermal method with different Ag contents. The obtained materials were characterized by various modern analytical methods, in which the ATG50 sample, prepared with 50 mg of AgNO3, demonstrated the highest photodegradation performance towards crystal violet (CV). The individual and simultaneous effects of crucial factors, namely pH, CV concentration, catalyst dose, adsorption time, and photodegradation time on the photocatalytic efficiency were evaluated via Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken models, respectively, which revealed up to 99.95% of removal efficiency at pH 6.5, 25 mg/L of the dye, and 29 mg of catalyst. Besides, ATG50 also achieved notable photodegradation potentials against methylene blue and indigo carmine with 97.11 and 53.22% of elimination, respectively, whilst a sufficient silver release and great reusability were acquired even after the 5th recycling run. And the antibacterial activity of the as-chosen ATG50 was also affirmed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Therefore, the acquired results elucidate the synthesized ATG material as a promising solution for the treatment of organic dyes in wastewater and antibacterial applications.

Efficient synthesis of 3D/2D CeO2/MoS2 nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity to degrade organic dye in wastewater and statistical optimization of reaction parameters

Nanocomposites synthesized by alternative approaches like biosynthetic methods are safer than those prepared by traditional chemical techniques. Further, this approach is both economically and environmentally feasible. In this study, we report an eco-friendly methodology for preparing cerium dioxide/molybdenum disulfide (CeO2/MoS2) nanocomposites. Moringa oleifera peel was used as the reducing/stabilizing agent for synthesizing CeO2 nanoparticles. The prepared nanocomposite was characterized using FT-IR analysis, SEM and EDAX analysis, TEM and SAED pattern analysis, X-Ray Diffraction Pattern, Zeta Potential, UV-Visible Diffuse Reflectance Spectra, X-Ray Photon Spectroscopy, and Photoluminescence spectra. Particle size and morphology were characterized by TEM and SEM. The photocatalytic pursuit of CeO2/MoS2 was explored by the degradation of methyl violet (MV) under visible light irradiation. Our methodology proved to be 96.25% effective in the degradation of MV. Further, we used this Response Surface Methodology for enhancing the process factors like volume of photocatalyst, time for degradation, and concentration of MV.

The selective and enhanced adsorptive behaviors of supramolecular recrystallized 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid assembled nano-bacterial cellulose

The effluent discharge produced in the textile printing and dyeing, leather and other fields, will cause the irreversible environmental pollution and extremely threatening safety of living organisms. The appropriate and efficient disposal method of dyestuff originated wastewater has been widely concerned in the past decades. In this study, the recrystallization of 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid (RCTMA) was put forward via a hydrothermal method to form the supramolecular RCTMA-based hexamer and thereafter assembled into the porous nano-bacterial cellulose (NBC) to construct the RCTMA@NBC composite. The morphology and surface properties of RCTMA@NBC were examined by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This RCTMA@NBC was employed to adsorb methylene blue (MB) adjusting the pH, temperature, and dosage of adsorbent. The result showed the maximal absorption capacity of RCTMA@NBC appeared under pH = 7.1 and higher temperature will hinder the adsorption of dyes. Moreover, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics were evaluated which was more confirmed to Langmuir model and quasi-second-order kinetic equation, and the simulated maximum adsorption capacities of MB was 1162.12 mg/g. Moreover, cationic golden XGL and anionic brilliant crocein were selected to further verify the distinct adsorptive behavior. The excellent affinity towards cationic dyes proved the easy combination was based on the chemical force originated from mutual attraction between opposite charges, π–π interactions, and H-bonding, whereas the poor attraction for brilliant crocein was due to the electrostatic repulsion between sulfonic and carboxyl groups. The synthesized RCTMA@NBC possesses higher efficiency and selective adsorption, which exhibits the promising potential in the field of precise treatment of organic dye wastewater.

Preparation of βCD‐AC functionalized ZnO/ZnSe for photocatalytic degradation of organic dye wastewater

Conventional photocatalysts for degrading pollutants are limited because of the rapid recombination of electron–hole pair, difficulty in separation and recovery, and low efficiency in utilizing the visible light. To improve the adsorption capacity of the photocatalyst and reduce electron–hole recombination rate, βCD was anchored onto the porous activated carbon (AC) and then combined with ZnO/ZnSe to prepare βCD‐AC‐ZnO/ZnSe. The ZnO was a quasi‐hexahedron shape in the ZnO/ZnSe heterojunction and was tightly integrated with the βCD‐AC, which could improve the transfer ability of the photogenerated carrier. Considering the synergistic effect of βCD‐AC and ZnO/ZnSe, the UV absorption edge was red shifted, and the lifetime of the electrons–hole pairs was prolonged. Thus, the photocatalytic degradation ration of βCD‐AC‐ZnO/ZnSe reached 82% under visible light, which was about 1.8 and 4.2 times higher than those of the virgin heterojunction and AC‐ZnO/ZnSe, respectively. βCD‐AC‐ZnO/ZnSe exhibited excellent disinfection potential that 3.5 log Escherichia coli cells were killed for 120 min. The high‐efficiency visible‐light photocatalytic performance was demonstrated, and the •O2− played a main active role in the photocatalytic removal of pollutants. The present research provided a valuable route for the fabrication of photocatalyst for real‐world applications.

Photoluminescence Performance and Photocatalytic Activity of Modified Carbon Quantum Dots Derived from Pluronic F127.

The photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in waste water using carbon quantum dots (CQDs) remains a hot topic due to the importance of environmental protection. However, identifying suitable carbon resources and successful surface modification are still challenging. Herein, the hydrothermal method and surface modification of ammonia and thionyl chloride were applied to synthesize CQDs with different surface groups using PEO106PPO70PEO106 (Pluronic F127) as a carbon source. The average particle size of the as-prepared CQDs was in the range of 2.3-3.5 nm. The unmodified CQDs had the highest relative photoluminescence intensity, while all as-prepared CQDs exhibited abnormal photoluminescence located outside the scope of the visible spectrum. Interestingly, CQDs modified with ammonia achieved a degradation rate of 99.13% (15 d) for 50 mg/L indigo carmine solution, while CQDs modified with thionyl chloride reached a degradation rate of 97.59% (15 d) for light green SF yellowish solution. Therefore, in this work, two typical organic dyes can be effectively photocatalytically degraded by as-prepared CQDs, with suitable surface modification.