Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-n-Nonylphenol under Irradiation from Solar Simulator: Comparison between BiVO4 and TiO2 Photocatalysts

Abstract

A toxic endocrine disruptor, 4-n-nonylphenol, was degraded using a well-known TiO2 and a visible-light-driven BiVO4 photocatalyst under irradiation from a solar simulator. The degradation rates for both BiVO4 and TiO2 are comparable in air-saturated solution though surface area of BiVO4 is much smaller than that of TiO2. This fact indicates that BiVO4 has a great ability to degrade alkylphenols in wastewater under solar light.

Enhanced p-cresol photodegradation over BiOBr/Bi2O3 in the presence of rhodamine B

“…Several bismuth compounds have been reported to be visible light active photocatalysts, such as bismuth oxyhalides, [4][5][6][7][8] NaBiO 3 , 9-12 BiVO 4 , [13][14][15][16] etc. It is interesting that despite being a heavy metal, bismuth is generally considered to be safe, as it is non-toxic and noncarcinogenic.…”

A Novel, Simple and Green Way to Fabricate BiVO4 with Excellent Photocatalytic Activity and Its Methylene Blue Decomposition Mechanism

“…There are numerous methods reported for the fabrication of BiVO 4 , including hydrothermal treatment [15][16][17][18], sonochemical method [19], sol-gel method [20][21][22], ionothermal treatment [23], microwave-assisted route [24,25], solution combustion synthesis [26], co-precipitation process [27], molten salt method [28], reverse microemulsion process [29], aqueous method [30][31][32][33], etc. Among all of theses methods, the aqueous method provides a milder environment for the synthesis of monoclinic BiVO 4 and allows the reaction parameters as well as the properties of the products to be easily tuned.…”

“…Among all of theses methods, the aqueous method provides a milder environment for the synthesis of monoclinic BiVO 4 and allows the reaction parameters as well as the properties of the products to be easily tuned. Akihiko et al [30] reported an aqueous process for preparation of highly crystalline monoclinic and tetragonal BiVO 4 by reaction of the layered potassium vanadates KV 3 O 8 and K 3 V 5 O 14 with Bi(NO 3 ) 3 at 20˝C for 3 d. Kohtani et al [31] prepared BiVO 4 by stirring a equimolar mixture of aqueous Bi(NO 3 ) 3¨5 H 2 O and NH 4 VO 3 solutions (0.4 mol/L) containing HNO 3 (1.84 mol/L) with 7.5 g urea at 90˝C for 8 h. Tokunaga et al [10] fabricated the BiVO 4 by an aqueous process at room temperature by hydrolyzing a nitric acid solution of Bi(NO 3 ) 3 and Na 3 VO 4 using bases (Na 2 CO 3 and NaHCO 3 ) to adjust the pH. They found that BiVO 4 (s-m) and BiVO 4 (s-t) could be selectively prepared by adjusting the preparation time, and that BiVO 4 (s-m) obtained using 7.0 g of Na 2 CO 3 showed the highest photocatalytic O 2 evolution, while the activity of BiVO 4 (s-t) was negligible.…”

Fabrication of Dual Layer Hollow Fibre Membranes for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants

“…Fortunately, the degradation and mineralization of the pollutant are possible to be achieved by the application of advanced technologies such as photocatalytic oxidation [2], [3]. Photocatalysis, based on the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) is considered as a promising approach for removal of organic pollutants.…”