Preparation of floating BiOCl0.6I0.4/ZnO photocatalyst and its inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa under visible light

Hong Liu; Liuliu Yang; Houwang Chen; Meng Chen; Peng Zhang; Ning Ding

doi:10.1016/j.jes.2021.12.044

Preparation of floating BiOCl_0.6I_0.4/ZnO photocatalyst and its inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa under visible light

J Environ Sci (China). 2023 Mar:125:362-375. doi: 10.1016/j.jes.2021.12.044. Epub 2022 Jan 7.

Authors

Hong Liu¹, Liuliu Yang², Houwang Chen², Meng Chen², Peng Zhang², Ning Ding³

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China. Electronic address: hong.liu@usts.edu.cn.
² School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Cleaner Production and Comprehensive Utilization of Resources, China National Light Industry, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China.

PMID: 36375921
DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2021.12.044

Abstract

Frequent occurrence of harmful algal blooms has already threatened aquatic life and human health. In the present study, floating BiOCl_0.6I_0.4/ZnO photocatalyst was synthesized in situ by water bath method, and and applied in inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa under visible light. The composition, morphology, chemical states, optical properties of the photocatalyst were also characterized. The results showed that BiOCl_0.6I_0.4 exhibited laminated nanosheet structure with regular shape, and the light response range of the composite BZ/EP-3 (BiOCl_0.6I_0.4/ZnO/EP-3) was tuned from 582 to 638 nm. The results of photocatalytic experiments indicated that BZ/EP-3 composite had stronger photocatalytic activity than a single BiOCl_0.6I_0.4 and ZnO, and the removal rate of chlorophyll a was 89.28% after 6 hr of photocatalytic reaction. The photosynthetic system was destroyed and cell membrane of algae ruptured under photocatalysis, resulting in the decrease of phycobiliprotein components and the release of a large number of ions (K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺). Furthermore, active species trapping experiment determined that holes (h⁺) and superoxide radicals (·O₂^-) were the main active substance for the inactivation of algae, and the p-n mechanism of photocatalyst was proposed. Overall, BZ/EP-3 showed excellent algal removal ability under visible light, providing fundamental theories for practical algae pollution control.

Keywords: Algae removal; BiOCl(0.6)I(0.4)/ZnO; Photocatalysis; Visible light.

MeSH terms

Chlorophyll A
Harmful Algal Bloom
Humans
Light
Microcystis*
Zinc Oxide*

Substances

Zinc Oxide
Chlorophyll A