{"title":"Bi2O4/Cu2O based Visible-Light Responsive Z-Scheme Photocatalyst for Bisphenol A Degradation: Experimental Validation and DFT Analysis","authors":"Azka Tariq, Zaheer Aslam, Amjad Ali, Mohsin Pasha, Sobia Anwar, Namrah Akhtar","doi":"10.1007/s11270-025-08458-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known Endocrine Disruptor, showing substantial carcinogenic effects on human health and is abundantly found in wastewater discharged from epoxy resins. In this research, a visible light active photocatalyst Bi<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (BC0) is synthesized via hydrothermal technique and doped with Cu<sub>2</sub>O (BCx, x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, & 2) via ultrasonic treatment. The composite is characterized by X-ray diffractometry, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) to analyze the crystal structure, surface morphology and light absorption characteristics respectively. Photo degradation experiments revealed that BC1 composite is able to degrade BPA up to 99.4% within half an hour time. And this is achieved when photocatalytic experiments are performed under monochromatic blue light. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity reduced to 75% over five consecutive cycles, showing its great recycling potential. The mechanism proposed by the scavenging experiments and supported via density functional theory simulations indicated that the degradation of BPA is mainly carried out by the photo-induced holes accompanied by the superoxide radical. Given the high cost of artificial light sources (i.e. Hg-Xe lamps), the proposed photocatalyst seems to be highly suitable for decomposing emerging contaminants in impaired waters.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\n<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":808,"journal":{"name":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","volume":"236 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Water, Air, & Soil Pollution","FirstCategoryId":"6","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11270-025-08458-1","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known Endocrine Disruptor, showing substantial carcinogenic effects on human health and is abundantly found in wastewater discharged from epoxy resins. In this research, a visible light active photocatalyst Bi2O4 (BC0) is synthesized via hydrothermal technique and doped with Cu2O (BCx, x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, & 2) via ultrasonic treatment. The composite is characterized by X-ray diffractometry, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) to analyze the crystal structure, surface morphology and light absorption characteristics respectively. Photo degradation experiments revealed that BC1 composite is able to degrade BPA up to 99.4% within half an hour time. And this is achieved when photocatalytic experiments are performed under monochromatic blue light. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity reduced to 75% over five consecutive cycles, showing its great recycling potential. The mechanism proposed by the scavenging experiments and supported via density functional theory simulations indicated that the degradation of BPA is mainly carried out by the photo-induced holes accompanied by the superoxide radical. Given the high cost of artificial light sources (i.e. Hg-Xe lamps), the proposed photocatalyst seems to be highly suitable for decomposing emerging contaminants in impaired waters.
期刊介绍：
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution is an international, interdisciplinary journal on all aspects of pollution and solutions to pollution in the biosphere. This includes chemical, physical and biological processes affecting flora, fauna, water, air and soil in relation to environmental pollution. Because of its scope, the subject areas are diverse and include all aspects of pollution sources, transport, deposition, accumulation, acid precipitation, atmospheric pollution, metals, aquatic pollution including marine pollution and ground water, waste water, pesticides, soil pollution, sewage, sediment pollution, forestry pollution, effects of pollutants on humans, vegetation, fish, aquatic species, micro-organisms, and animals, environmental and molecular toxicology applied to pollution research, biosensors, global and climate change, ecological implications of pollution and pollution models. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution also publishes manuscripts on novel methods used in the study of environmental pollutants, environmental toxicology, environmental biology, novel environmental engineering related to pollution, biodiversity as influenced by pollution, novel environmental biotechnology as applied to pollution (e.g. bioremediation), environmental modelling and biorestoration of polluted environments.
Articles should not be submitted that are of local interest only and do not advance international knowledge in environmental pollution and solutions to pollution. Articles that simply replicate known knowledge or techniques while researching a local pollution problem will normally be rejected without review. Submitted articles must have up-to-date references, employ the correct experimental replication and statistical analysis, where needed and contain a significant contribution to new knowledge. The publishing and editorial team sincerely appreciate your cooperation.
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution publishes research papers; review articles; mini-reviews; and book reviews.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
