Solar light assisted degradation of oxytetracycline from water using Bi2O3/Fe3O4 supported graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst

The undesirable release of antibiotics into natural water bodies is regarded as major threat to aquatic environment. The fabrication of magnetically separable photocatalyst with high stability and recycle efficiency is emerging as an important strategy to mitigate water pollution. This research work reports a facile fabrication of ternary nanocomposite comprising of g-carbon nitride (GCN) and Bi2O3/Fe3O4. GCN was synthesized via calcination method involving thermal condensation of melamine. FESEM, HRTEM, FTIR, EDX, XRD, PL and UV-visible spectroscopy verified the successful preparation of GCN/Bi2O3/Fe3O4. The as synthesized GCN/Bi2O3/Fe3O4 photocatalyst was tested for the photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of oxytetracycline (OTC) antibiotic as target pollutant under solar light irradiation. GCN/Bi2O3/Fe3O4 revealed excellent photocatalytic performance for the degradation of OTC as compared to GCN and Bi2O3 due to suitable band gap positions. The synergistic adsorption and photocatalysis exhibited significantly higher efficacy for OTC degradation. The OTC was fully mineralized in 8 h in visible light exposure. GCN/Bi2O3/Fe3O4 was recovered from reaction mixture in 90 s employing a magnet and recycled for 10 consecutive cycles without much loss in catalytic activity. The present study attempts to provide a new approach for the designing of an efficient magnetic photocatalyst for organic pollutant eradication from simulated water.