Towards visible light driven photoelectrocatalysis for water treatment: Application of a FTO/BiVO4/Ag2S heterojunction anode for the removal of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants

Pharmaceuticals have been classified as emerging water pollutants which are recalcitrant in nature. In the quest to find a suitable technique in removing them from contaminated water, photoelectrocatalytic oxidation method has attracted much attention in recent years. This report examined the feasib...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2020-03, Vol.10 (1), p.5348-5348, Article 5348
Main Authors: Orimolade, Benjamin O., Arotiba, Omotayo A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Ciprofloxacin
Electrochemistry
Electrodes
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Oxidation
Pharmaceutical industry wastes
Pollutants
Recombination
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Silver chloride
Sulfamethoxazole
Water pollution
Water treatment
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Summary:Pharmaceuticals have been classified as emerging water pollutants which are recalcitrant in nature. In the quest to find a suitable technique in removing them from contaminated water, photoelectrocatalytic oxidation method has attracted much attention in recent years. This report examined the feasibility of degrading ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole through photoelectrocatalytic oxidation using FTO-BiVO 4 /Ag 2 S with p-n heterojunction as anode. BiVO 4 /Ag 2 S was prepared through electrodeposition and successive ionic layer adsorption/reaction on FTO glass. Structural and morphological studies using XRD, SEM, EDS and diffusive reflectance UV-Vis confirmed the successful construction of p-n heterojunction of BiVO 4 /Ag 2 S. Electrochemical techniques were used to investigate enhanced charge separation in the binary electrode. The FTO-BiVO 4 /Ag 2 S electrode exhibited the highest photocurrent response (1.194 mA/cm −2 ) and longest electron lifetime (0.40 ms) than both pristine BiVO 4 and Ag 2 S electrodes which confirmed the reduction in recombination of charge carriers in the electrode. Upon application of the prepared FTO-BiVO 4 /Ag 2 S in photoelectrocatalytic removal of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole, percentage removal of 80% and 86% were achieved respectively with a low bias potential of 1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl) within 120 min. The electrode possesses good stability and reusability. The results obtained revealed BiVO 4 /Ag 2 S as a suitable photoanode for removing recalcitrant pharmaceutical molecules in water.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-62425-w