Graphitic-carbon-nitride-hydrophilicity-dependent photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics with different log Kow.

The surface hydrophilicity of a photocatalyst is an important factor that directly influences its interactions with organic pollutants and significantly impacts its degradation. In this study, we investigated the impact of increased hydrophilicity of g-C3N4 (CN) by alkaline solvothermal treatment on the degradations of three antibiotics (oxytetracycline (OTC), oxolinic acid (OA), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX)) with different log Kow values. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy showed no significant differences in the morphology, crystalline structure, and surface functional groups of CN after alkaline solvothermal treatment (Nv-HPCN). However, contact angle analysis revealed that Nv-HPCN (31.8°) was more hydrophilic than CN (61.1°). To assess the hydrophilicity of the antibiotics, the log Kow values of SMX (0.77), OA (0.43), and OTC (-0.34) were measured. Nv-HPCN showed faster OTC degradation than CN, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for the degradation of OA. Scavenger tests showed that O2•- and h+ mainly contributed to the degradation of these antibiotics. Furthermore, the influences of NOM and coexisting anions on antibiotic degradation were investigated. This study thus offers perspectives on the impact of surface hydrophilicity of photocatalysts on the degradation of antibiotics.

Exploring the viability of a floating photocatalyst in a continuous stirred tank reactor system for continuous water treatment.

The use of photocatalysts in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) systems allows for efficient and continuous water treatment, thus meeting the demand for scalable technology and comparative data in large-scale implementations. Hence, this study aims to explore the feasibility of a floating photocatalyst within a CSTR system for continuous water treatment. An expanded polystyrene (EPS)-TiO2 composite was synthesized following established methodologies, and their efficacy in removing the water pollutant methylene blue (MB) was compared for both batch and CSTR systems. A nonlinear first-order model was identified as the most suitable approach to accurately simulate MB degradation under experimental conditions, and the calculated pseudo-first-order degradation rate constant (k') for the CSTR system (0.0126-0.0172/min) was found to be superior to that observed for the batch system (0.0113/min). In addition, an increase in the flow rate reduced the retention time, leading to lower MB removal efficiency for the CSTR system. In addition, the EPS-TiO2/UV system with a CSTR configuration was found to efficiently use light and energy based on the calculated quantum yield (Φ = 2.86 × 10-4) and electrical energy per order (EEO = 857.46 kWh/m3/order). The findings of this study contribute to the development of sustainable and efficient water treatment strategies, offering valuable insight into the implementation of practical water treatment processes.

Facile synthesis of N vacancy g-C3N4 using Mg-induced defect on the amine groups for enhanced photocatalytic •OH generation.

Photocatalysis offers opportunities to degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants without adding treatment chemicals. Nitrogen (N) vacancy is an effective point-defect engineering strategy to mitigate electron-hole recombination and facilitate hydroxyl radical (•OH) production via superoxide radical (O2•-) generation during photocatalytic application of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). Here, we report a novel strategy for fabrication of N-vacancy-rich g-C3N4 (NvrCN) via post-solvothermal treatment of Mg-doped g-C3N4. The addition of the Mg precursor during the polycondensation of urea created abundant amine sites in the g-C3N4 framework, which facilitates formation of N vacancies during post-solvothermal treatment. Elemental analysis and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra confirmed a higher abundance of N vacancies in the resultant NvrCN. Further optical and electronic analyses revealed the beneficial role of N vacancies in light-harvesting capacity, electron-hole separation, and charge transfer. N vacancies also provide specific reaction centers for O2 molecules, promoting oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Therefore, •OH generation increased via enhanced formation of H2O2 under visible light irradiation, and NvrCN photocatalytically degraded oxytetracycline 4-fold faster with degradation rate constant of 1.85 × 10-2 min-1 (light intensity = 1.03 mW/cm2, catalyst concentration = 0.6 g/L, oxytetracycline concentration = 20 mg/L) than pristine g-C3N4. Overall, this study provides a facile method for synthesizing N-vacancy-rich g-C3N4 and elucidates the role of the defect structure in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4.