Simultaneous Emerging Contaminant Removal and H2O2 Generation Through Electron Transfer Carrier Effect of Bi─O─Ce Bond Bridge Without External Energy Consumption

Abstract

Abstract Conventional advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) require significant external energy consumption to eliminate emerging contaminants (ECs) with stable structures. Herein, a catalyst consisting of nanocube BiCeO particles (BCO‐NCs) prepared by an impregnation‐hydrothermal process is reported for the first time, which is used for removing ECs without light/electricity or any other external energy input in water and simultaneous in situ generation of H2O2. A series of characterizations and experiments reveal that dual reaction centers (DRC) which are similar to the valence band/conducting band structure are formed on the surface of BCO‐NCs. Under natural conditions without any external energy consumption, the BCO‐NCs self‐purification system can remove more than 80% of ECs within 30 min, and complete removal of ECs within 30 min in the presence of abundant electron acceptors, the corresponding second‐order kinetic constant is increased to 3.62 times. It is found that O2 can capture electrons from ECs through the Bi─O─Ce bond bridge during the reaction process, leading to the in situ production of H2O2. This work will be a key advance in reducing energy consumption for deep wastewater treatment and generating important chemical raw materials.

Keywords

• dual reaction centers
• H2O2 generation
• oxygen activation
• zero external energy consumption