Nanoarchitectonics of CuO/α-Fe2O3/BiVO4 photocatalysts with double heterojunctions on PVDF membranes: Investigating sulfadiazine removal and antifouling properties

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-05, Vol.487, p.150445, Article 150445
• Main Authors: Yuan, Yi, He, Jiancheng, Dong, Wenrui, Xie, Xiaoyun, Liu, Yijie, Wang, Zhaowei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Double heterojunction; Membrane reactor; Photocatalysis; Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF); Sulfadiazine
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.150445

[Display omitted] •The CuO/α-Fe2O3/BiVO4 (CBF) could degrade 98.59% of sulfadiazine within 20 min.•O2− and h+ were the main active species for photocatalytic degradation.•Within 60 min, the PVDF/CBF membrane removed 89.18% of sulfadiazine.•FTIR and contact angle tests indicated PVDF/CBF membranes had better hydrophilicity.•The PVDF/CBF membrane combined physical interception and photocatalytic degradation. The photocatalytic membrane combines membrane separation and photocatalysis, solving the problem of photocatalyst separation and recovery. In this study, the double-heterojunctional CuO/α-Fe2O3/BiVO4 (CBF) photocatalyst was successfully prepared and could degrade 98.59 % of sulfadiazine (SD) within 20 min, exhibiting good stability and universality. The experiment results demonstrated a significant contribution of O2− and h+ in the degradation of SD by CBF, and OH generated by Fe/Cu through the Fenton-like reaction triggered by photogenerated electrons also contributed to the degradation of SD. Meanwhile, PVDF/CBF immobilized photocatalytic membrane were prepared to remove 89.18 % of SD within 60 min in static water (100 mL of reaction solution, 10 mg/L of SD concentration, 0 mL/min of influent flow rate), and 92.96 % of SD within 180 min in a flowing water reactor (150 mL of reaction solution, 10 mg/L of SD concentration, 5.1 mL/min of influent flow rate). The experimental results show that the introduction of CBF increased the degradation rate of the membrane by 10 times (kPVDF = 0.003 min−1, kPVDF/CBF = 0.034 min−1). According to the FTIR results, the introduction of CBF also brought richer hydrophilic groups (–OH), and the contact angle testing further proved that the hydrophilicity of PVDF/CBF membranes was superior to that of bare membranes. The PVDF/CBF could also remove suspended solids in water through physical interception and achieve self-cleaning through chemical degradation of adsorbed organic pollutants. This work provides an efficient, low-energy, and environmentally friendly solution for the utilization of photocatalysis in practical situations.