Construction of g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs Type-Ⅱ heterojunction promotes photo-Fenton degradation of doxycycline

• Published in: Separation and purification technology 2023-12, Vol.326, p.124790, Article 124790
• Main Authors: Wang, Chenglong, Kong, Xiaowen, Yu, Zhixin, Tao, Xumei, Huang, Liang, Shang, Shuyong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Doxycycline; g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs; Photo-Fenton; Waste PET plastics
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2023.124790

[Display omitted] •g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs were successfully synthesized with the utilization of waste PET by DBD plasma method.•g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs formed type-II heterojunctions, inhibiting the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes.•g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs-10 exhibited excellent photo-Fenton performance of 90.6% degradation of DOX within 40 min. A type-II heterojunction photo-Fenton catalyst g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs was synthesized with the utilization of waste PET by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The coupling of Fe-MOFs enhanced the visible-light absorption regions of g-C3N4, and induced the formation of type-II heterojunction, which inhibited the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs exhibited a much higher photo-Fenton catalytic performance, which was 4.42 and 3.30 times higher than that of g-C3N4 and Fe-MOFs for the degradation of doxycycline (DOX), respectively. The enhanced photo-Fenton catalytic performance could be attributed to the synergistic electron transfer interface between g-C3N4 and Fe-MOFs, thus inhibiting the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. The possible mechanism of photo-Fenton degradation of DOX with g-C3N4/Fe-MOFs was proposed based on the radical trapping experiments, as well as the characterization of EPR and Mott-Schottky. This research could provide an efficient and green method for the utilization of waste PET and the treatment of antibiotic wastewater.