Removal of sulfonylurea herbicides with g-C3N4-based photocatalysts: A review

Abstract

The accumulation of agricultural chemicals in the environment has become a global concern, of which sulfonylurea herbicides (SUHs) constitute a significant category. Solar-driven photocatalysis is favored for removing organic pollutants due to its high efficiency and environmental friendliness. Graphite carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄)-based materials with superior catalytic activities and physicochemical stabilities are promising photocatalysts. This review describes the g-C₃N₄-based materials and their uses in the photocatalytic degradation of SUHs or other organic pollutants with similar structures. First, the fundamentals of g-C₃N₄-based materials and photocatalytic SUHs degradation are discussed to provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanism for the photocatalytic activity. The ability of different g-C₃N₄-based materials to photocatalytically degrade SUH-like structures is then discussed and summarized based on different modification strategies (morphology modulation, elemental doping, defect engineering, and heterojunction formations). Meanwhile, the effects of different environmental factors on the photocatalytic performance of g-C₃N₄-based materials are described. Finally, the major challenges and opportunities of g-C₃N₄-based materials for the photocatalytic degradation of SUHs are proposed. It is hoped that this review will show the feasibility of photocatalytic degradation of SUHs with g-C₃N₄-based materials.

Keywords: Carbon nitride; Doping; Heterojunction; Morphology; Photocatalysis; Sulfonylurea.