Significantly activated persulfate by novel carbon quantum dots-modified N-BiOCl for complete degradation of bisphenol-A under visible light irradiation

Jianqiao Zhang; Zhiyang Li; Qian Lei; Dan Zhong; YiXin Ke; WenJie Liu; Lei Yang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161804

Significantly activated persulfate by novel carbon quantum dots-modified N-BiOCl for complete degradation of bisphenol-A under visible light irradiation

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Apr 20:870:161804. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161804. Epub 2023 Jan 31.

Authors

Jianqiao Zhang¹, Zhiyang Li², Qian Lei³, Dan Zhong², YiXin Ke², WenJie Liu², Lei Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China; Luohu District Urban Management and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau, Shenzhen 518003, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Prevention and Control, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China.
³ China Railway NO.1 GROUP Co., LTD., Xi'an 710000, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Prevention and Control, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: yanglei2020@hit.edu.cn.

PMID: 36731546
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161804

Abstract

The practical application of bismuth-based photocatalysts in the field of micropollutant photodegradation is limited due to their weak light absorption and rapid charge recombination. Herein, we have developed a novel carbon quantum dots-modified N-BiOCl (CDs-N-BiOCl) photocatalyst to activate persulfate (PS) for the complete elimination of endocrine-disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) under visible light irradiation. The photoelectric properties characterization shows that N atoms could replace Cl atoms or adsorb on Bi atoms to form local N 1s states in the BiOCl lattice, accompanied by the introduction of doping energy levels that shorten the electron migration distance. Meanwhile, the decorated CDs could effectively accept the photoinduced electrons from N-BiOCl conduction band to facilitate the charge separation. Thus, the 7%CDs-N-BiOCl (7CNB) nanocomposite synergistically activated PS realized rapid and effective degradation of BPA within 20 min (degradation efficiency and mineralization reached 100 % and 66.4 % respectively). Moreover, the 7CNB/PS system displayed favorable adaptability, durability, and interference resistance. Furthermore, the biotoxicity experiments demonstrated that the photodegradation intermediates promoted the growth of Escherichia coli which indicates its eco-friendliness for practical application. Finally, the electron transfer mechanism and the formation of reactive oxygen species in the photodegradation process were interpreted. In short, this work will present a promising strategy for bismuth-based photocatalysts to be used for the efficient treatment of real water bodies under visible light irradiation.

Keywords: BiOCl; Carbon quantum dots; Nitrogen doped; Persulfate; Photocatalysis.