Highly stable Ag-doped Cu2O immobilized cellulose-derived carbon beads with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2024-06, Vol.269, p.131885-131885, Article 131885
• Main Authors: Wang, Yaoyao, Yang, Jinhui, Zhang, Zixuan, Zhao, Pujuan, Chen, Yuqing, Guo, Yi, Luo, Xiaogang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ag/Cu2O nanoparticles; carbon; carbon dioxide; Cellulose-derived carbon beads; chemical reduction; Levofloxacin; light; mass spectrometry; nanosilver; photocatalysis; photocatalysts; Photocatalytic degradation; Photodynamic; photolysis; reaction kinetics; semiconductors
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131885

Ag-doped Cu2O immobilized carbon beads (Ag/Cu2O@CB) based composite photocatalysts have been prepared for the removal of levofloxacin, an antibiotic, from water. The photocatalysts were prepared by the processes of chemical reduction and in-situ solid-phase precipitation. The composite photocatalyst was characterized by a porous and interconnected network structure. Ag nanoparticles were deposited on Cu2O particles to develop a metal-based semiconductor to increase the catalytic efficiency of the system and the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. Cellulose-derived carbon beads (CBs) can also be used as electron storage libraries which can capture electrons released from the conduction band of Cu2O. The results revealed that the maximum catalytic degradation efficiency of the composite photocatalyst for the antibiotic levofloxacin was 99.02 %. The Langmuir–Hinshelwood model was used to study the reaction kinetics, and the process of photodegradation followed first-order kinetics. The maximum apparent rate was recorded to be 0.0906 min-1. The mass spectrometry technique showed that levofloxacin degraded into carbon dioxide and water in the presence of the photocatalyst. The results revealed that the easy-to-produce photocatalyst was stable and efficient in levofloxacin removing. •Presence of Ag nanoparticles enhance separation and transfer of carriers in Cu2O.•Doping of Ag decreased band gap of Cu2O and led to red shift of absorption edge.•·OH and ·O2− were the main reactive species in levofloxacin degradation.•The maximum degradation efficiency of Ag/Cu2O@CB for levofloxacin can reach 99.02 %.•Possible pathways for the photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin are proposed.