Photocatalytic activities of coke carbon/g-C3N4 and Bi metal/Bi mixed oxides/g-C3N4 nanohybrids for the degradation of pollutants in wastewater

Abstract

Different g-C3N4 composite systems (coke carbon/g-C3N4, Bi/Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 and Bi/Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4) have been assessed as photocatalysts for wastewater pollutants removal. The coke carbon/g-C3N4 hybrid, produced by thermal treatment at 550 °C of a composite made from melamine cyanurate and coke, only showed activity under UV-light irradiation. On the other hand, inorganic Bi spheres/Bi mixed oxides/g-C3N4 nanohybrids (Bi/Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 and Bi/Bi2MoO6/g-C3N4 composites), produced by thermal reduction of Bi2WO6 or Bi2MoO6 by g-C3N4, exhibited a remarkable red-shift, up to 620 nm, and allowed the visible-light driven degradation of the contaminant, albeit in combination with some adsorption.

Keywords

• carbon nitride
• coke
• bismuth mixed oxides
• photocatalysis
• wastewater pollutants