This study focuses on the feasibility of a spectroscopic multivariate method for monitoring the concentration of phenol and its main degradation products during heterogeneous photocatalysis. Phenolic compounds were chosen as model to evaluate the degradation process due to their toxicity and persistence in the environment and also their well-known degradation pathway. The predictive capability of the multivariate method developed by partial least squares regression (PLSR) over the spectral range of 200-350 nm was satisfactory, allowing mean predicted errors below 5.0 % in the simultaneous determination of the target compounds using six latent variables and smoothing spectra. Suitable results were reported for the simultaneous determination of hydroquinone, resorcinol, pyrocatechol, and p-benzoquinone in accordance to the chromatographic method. Characteristics such as simplicity, low cost, and fast data acquisition are remarkable in this procedure, which makes it appropriate for this type of analytical control.
In this study, B1VO4 photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method and were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis diffusion reflectance spectra (UV-Vis DRS), and Raman spectroscopy. From XRD, Raman, and UV-Vis DRS results, the as-synthesized B1VO4 showed monoclinic scheelite structure and narrow band gap energy (Eg = 2.35 eV). The morphology of as-prepared powder showed a small crystallite size with different shapes. The photocatalytic performances of the as-prepared sample were evaluated by the degradation of sulfamethoxazole under visible light. Also, H2O2 was added to enhance the photocatalytic activity of BiVO4. It has been noticed that 70% photodegradation of antibiotic occurs on the catalyst surface with visible light irradiation. Besides, the effects of pH and organic salts are also discussed in this study.
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