Boosting photocatalytic property of graphitic carbon nitride with metal complex fabrication for efficient degradation of organic pollutants

The development of efficient and stable photocatalysts for degradation of refractory pollutants using minimal amounts of metal remains a major challenge. Herein, we synthesize a novel catalyst by fabrication of manganese (III) acetylacetonate complex [Mn (acac)₃] over graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) denoted as 2-Mn/GCN by facile ultra-sonication method. The fabrication of the metal complex enables the migration of electrons from the conduction band of graphitic carbon nitride to Mn (acac)₃, and migration of holes from valence band of Mn (acac)₃ to GCN upon irradiation. Exploiting the improved surface properties, light absorption, and charge separation ensure generation of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals resulting in the rapid degradation of a variety of pollutants. The designed 2-Mn/GCN catalyst realized 99.59% rhodamine b (RhB) degradation in 55 min and 97.6% metronidazole (MTZ) degradation in 40 min with 0.7% Mn content. The influence of catalyst amount, different pH and presence of anions on the degradation kinetics was also explored to offer insights into photoactive material design.

Recent Advances in Endocrine Disrupting Compounds Degradation through Metal Oxide-Based Nanomaterials

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) comprise a class of natural or synthetic molecules and groups of substances which are considered as emerging contaminants due to their toxicity and danger for the ecosystems, including human health. Nowadays, the presence of EDCs in water and wastewater has become a global problem, which is challenging the scientific community to address the development and application of effective strategies for their removal from the environment. Particularly, catalytic and photocatalytic degradation processes employing nanostructured materials based on metal oxides, mainly acting through the generation of reactive oxygen species, are widely explored to eradicate EDCs from water. In this review, we report the recent advances described by the major publications in recent years and focused on the degradation processes of several classes of EDCs, such as plastic components and additives, agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, which were realized by using novel metal oxide-based nanomaterials. A variety of doped, hybrid, composite and heterostructured semiconductors were reported, whose performances are influenced by their chemical, structural as well as morphological features. Along with photocatalysis, alternative heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes are in development, and their combination may be a promising way toward industrial scale application.

Quick removal of metronidazole from aqueous solutions using metal–organic frameworks

Two MOFs were assembled, characterized and investigated in detail as efficient adsorbents for removal of the metronidazole antibiotic. Adsorption isotherms and kinetic features were also studied.

Sustainable and reusable electrospun g-C3N5/MIL-101(Fe)/poly(acrylonitrile-co-maleic acid) nanofibers for photocatalytic degradation of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants

To fabricate sustainable and reusable photocatalyst materials is urgent and desirable for removal of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants (EPPs) in environment water samples. In this work, we described the fabrication of...

Zn-doped hydroxyapatite@g-C3N4: a novel efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst for degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants

Heterojunction formation has been shown to be an effective technique for tuning nanomaterial features such as chemical reactivity and optical performance.

Carbon nitride-based photocatalysts for the mitigation of water pollution engendered by pharmaceutical compounds

In recent decades, the destructive impact of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) present in surface and drinking water on aquatic and terrestrial life forms becomes a major concern of researchers. API like diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ), tetracycline (TC), and sulfamethoxazole (SME) found in water bodies cause antimicrobial resistance and are potent carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Conventional wastewater treatment methods possess some drawbacks and were found to be insufficient for the effective removal of APIs. Visible light-assisted semiconductor photocatalysis has become an alternative choice for tackling this worse scenario. Graphitic carbon nitride, a metal-free visible light active semiconductor photocatalyst is an emerging hotspot nanomaterial whose practical utility in water purification is widely recognized. This review comes up with an insightful outlook on the panorama of recent progress in the field of g-C₃N₄-assisted photocatalytic systems for the eradication of APIs. In addition, the review summarizes various strategies adopted for the broad-spectrum utilization of visible light and the enhancement of charge separation of pristine g-C₃N₄. The mechanistic pathways followed by different pharmaceuticals during their photocatalytic degradation process were also briefly discussed.

Photocatalytic hydroxylation of benzene to phenol over organosilane-functionalized FeVO4 nanorods

Surface silylation of FeVO4 with organosilane functional groups is a promising strategy to realize kinetic control of photocatalytic benzene hydroxylation reactions.

A benevolent direction to environmental suitability: ionic liquid immobilized MoO3 nanoparticles used in the efficient visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics

This paper summarizes the synthesis of a novel MoO₃-bonded imidazolium sulfonic acid chloride (MoO₃-IL) using a facile precipitation method and its application in the degradation of two organic pollutants.

Recent Strategies for Environmental Remediation of Organochlorine Pesticides

The amount of organochlorine pesticides in soil and water continues to increase; their presence has surpassed maximum acceptable concentrations. Thus, the development of different removal strategies has stimulated a new research drive in environmental remediation. Different techniques such as adsorption, bioremediation, phytoremediation and ozonation have been explored. These techniques aim at either degrading or removal of the organochlorine pesticides from the environment but have different drawbacks. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a relatively new technique that has become popular due to its ability to completely degrade different toxic pollutants—instead of transferring them from one medium to another. The process is driven by a renewable energy source, and semiconductor nanomaterials are used to construct the light energy harvesting assemblies due to their rich surface states, large surface areas and different morphologies compared to their corresponding bulk materials. These make it a green alternative that is cost-effective for organochlorine pesticides degradation. This has also opened up new ways to utilize semiconductors and solar energy for environmental remediation. Herein, the focus of this review is on environmental remediation of organochlorine pesticides, the different techniques of their removal from the environment, the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques and the use of specific semiconductors as photocatalysts.