Research on the Sustainable Heterogeneous Catalyst Development for Photocatalytic Treatment of Phenol

Zan Li, Hongkun Zhang and Wenrui Jiang
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Zan Li: School of Food Engineering, Harbin University, Harbin 150086, China
Hongkun Zhang: School of Food Engineering, Harbin University, Harbin 150086, China
Wenrui Jiang: School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: A large amount of wastewater from various and discharged sources that are not treated in any way could affect properties of both land and water, causing severe problems for the environment. Advanced oxidation processes seem to be a feasible option to address effluent treatment with regard to salvation of the environment. In this work, a CdO/ZnO/Yb 2 O 3 composite composed of trimetallic semiconductors was synthesized through a simple one-pot hydrophile approach at low temperatures and then was employed as a photocatalyst. The degradation of phenol, a common organic persistent pollutant in industrial wastewater, was efficiently catalyzed in the presence of simulated sunlight. It was demonstrated that the synthesized CdO/ZnO/Yb 2 O 3 photocatalyst was significantly active after 15 min of reaction and facilitated the effective degradation of the phenol. The CdO/ZnO/Yb 2 O 3 photocatalyst achieved 71.5% and 97.81% degradation of the phenol without and with the existence of H 2 O 2 , correspondingly. The results show that the synthesized composite possesses high oxygen reduction capability and is available for rapid and potent photodegradation of the organic persistent pollutants such as phenol, with minimal damage to the environment.

Keywords: CdO/ZnO/Yb 2 O 3; nanosheets; phenol; photocatalysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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