Efficient removal of bisphenol A and disinfection of waterborne pathogens by boron/nitrogen codoped graphene aerogels via the synergy of adsorption and photocatalysis under visible light

• Published in: Journal of environmental chemical engineering 2020-10, Vol.8 (5), p.104300, Article 104300
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yiqun, Chowdhury, Shamik, Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bisphenol A; Boron and nitrogen codoping; Disinfection; Graphene aerogels; Photocatalysis; Visible light
• ISSN: 2213-3437; 2213-3437
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2020.104300

[Display omitted] •B/N codoped graphene aerogels (BNGAs) are prepared by one-pot hydrothermal method.•BNGAs can effectively photodegrade bisphenol A under visible light.•Over 88 % total organic carbon is removed by BNGAs within 3 h.•BNGAs can also remove pathogens such as Escherichia coli.•BNGAs can be recycled and reused repeatedly with no significant loss in efficiency. It is widely acknowledged that doping of carbon materials by multi-elements with different electronegativities can result in unique electron-donor properties and novel functionalities because of the strong synergistic interaction among the dopant atoms. In this study, boron and nitrogen codoped graphene aerogels (BNGAs) are synthesized and their photocatalytic activity towards decomposition of bisphenol A (BPA) under visible light irradiation is systematically examined. The BPA molecules are rapidly adsorbed onto the 3D interconnected pore system of the BNGAs under dark conditions, and eventually mineralized upon exposure to visible light, indicating the synergy between adsorption-enrichment and photocatalysis during degradation of BPA. Notably, almost 96 % of BPA is removed and over 88 % of total organic carbon is eliminated by the as-prepared BNGAs. More importantly, the BNGAs can retain approximately 92 % of their initial activity even after repeated cycling. In addition, the BNGAs display great potential for the disinfection of harmful pathogens like Escherichia coli, with a photocatalytic decontamination rate of 1.2 × 103 CFU h−1 gcat−1. In view of their attractive multi-functional performance, the as-developed BNGAs merit further consideration for eliminating emerging organic contaminants and pathogens from freshwater sources.