Photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene over BiOCl under UV irradiation

In this study, BiOCl samples were synthesized under different pH values and characterized by XRD, SEM, UV-vis DRS, BET, photoelectrochemical measurement and PL. The photocatalytic performances of the as-prepared samples were evaluated through the decomposition of trichloroethylene (TCE) under UV irradiation. The influences of several parameters such as solution pH and common inorganic anions on TCE removal were investigated. Results indicated that BiOCl-0.6 exhibited better photocatalytic performance than BiOCl-6.0 because of its higher migration ability of photo-induced carrier. The photocatalytic degradation of TCE over BiOCl-0.6 followed pseudo first-order kinetics and appeared to be more efficient in acidic solution than in alkaline. TCE was almost completely dechlorinated in 120minutes. The inhibiting effect of naturally occurring anions was in the order of HCO3- >SO42- >NO3-, while Cl- exhibited a dual effect. Moreover, BiOCl-0.6 exhibited superior reusability after three cycles of repetition tests.