In the present study, alkaline earth metal scheelite-type ABO4 compounds (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba; B = Mo and W) synthesized by a hydrothermal method were systematically studied. The as-obtained photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, UV–vis diffuse reflectance (DR/UV–vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and thermoluminescence (TL) spectroscopy together with charge carrier lifetime measurements, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The photocatalytic activity was studied in the reaction of phenol degradation under simulated solar light. The obtained tungstates and molybdates revealed excellent photocatalytic activity despite the low surface area and wide bandgap typical for insulators. The mechanism of phenol degradation proceeded through hydroquinone and catechol formation in the presence of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. The presence of electron traps allowed absorption of light with lower energy than resulting from the absorption edge. BaWO4 and SrWO4, with the most extended average carrier lifetime, were the most efficient photocatalysts from the obtained series. In general, molybdates exhibited lower photocatalytic activity toward phenol degradation due to deeper trap states and lower average charge carrier lifetimes than tungstates. Additionally, electrochemical studies demonstrated that molybdates exhibit more insulating behavior than tungstates. The overall results showed that wide-bandgap semiconductors, mainly tungstates, can be applied as earth-abundant photocatalytic materials for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants.

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Due to the rising concentration of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the air, effective methods of NOx removal have been extensively studied recently. In the present study, the first developed WO3/S-doped g-C3N4 nanocomposite was synthesized using a facile method to remove NOx in air efficiently. The photocatalytic tests performed in a newly designed continuous-flow photoreactor with an LED array and online monitored NO2 and NO system allowed the investigation of photocatalyst layers at the pilot scale. The WO3/S-doped-g-C3N4 nanocomposite, as well as single components, were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy method (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DR/UV–vis), and photoluminescence spectroscopy with charge carriers’ lifetime measurements. All materials exhibited high efficiency in photocatalytic NO2 conversion, and 100% was reached in less than 5 min of illumination under simulated solar light. The effect of process parameters in the experimental setup together with WO3/S-doped g-C3N4 photocatalysts was studied in detail. Finally, the stability of the composite was tested in five subsequent cycles of photocatalytic degradation. The WO3/S-doped g-C3N4 was stable in time and did not undergo deactivation due to the blocking of active sites on the photocatalyst’s surface.