Novel and efficient red phosphorus/hollow hydroxyapatite microsphere photocatalyst for fast removal of antibiotic pollutants

Photocatalysis is a well-established and green technique in environmental pollutant remediation. In the present study, a novel and green red phosphorus (5.0 wt%)/hollow hydroxyapatite microsphere photocatalyst was fabricated and applied forthe degradation of rifampicin, tetracycline, and levofloxacin. The as-prepared material exhibits outstanding photocatalytic activity and stability, and has universal application for degradation of each antibiotic. Notably, tetracycline, rifampicin, andlevofloxacin can be completely degraded within 10 min, 20 min, and 50 min, respectively, under a 300 W Xe lamp with full spectrum illumination, where the optimal conditions were an initial pH of 6.0 and a photocatalyst dosage of 1.0 g/L. In addition, a plausible photocatalytic reaction mechanism was proposed. The low-cost, highly efficient, and green red phosphorus (5.0 wt%)/hollow hydroxyapatite microsphere photocatalyst is a promising candidate for the removal of many hazardous pollutants.