Construction of WO3 nanocubes@Loess for rapid photocatalytic degradation of organics in wastewater under sunlight

In nowadays, environmental pollution has been greatly improved, but the development of low-cost and environmentally friendly materials are still challenge in the field of water treatment. Herein, a cheap and eco-friendly natural loess particle (LoP) was used for in situ growth of tungsten trioxide nanocubes (WO3NCs) on its surface via a simple one-pot hydrothermal method, which afforded a stable loess-based photocatalyst (WO3NCs@LoP). It was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic performances of WO3NCs@LoP were applied to photodegradation of organics under visible-light illumination. It was found that the removal rate of methylene blue (MB) got to 99% within 20 min, which was higher than that of materials, such as pure LoP and WO3NCs. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of WO3NCs@LoP remained 85% after 9 cycling times, indicating its high stability and reusability. It was suggested that the synergy of the well narrowed band gap and effectual control of e(-)-h(+) recombination in WO3NCs@LoP improve its photodegradation efficiency. In summary, using natural minerals (LoP) as carrier, a novel eco-friendly photocatalyst could be explored for photodegradation of organic pollutions in wastewater treatment.

Automated summary

In this study, tungsten trioxide nanocubes were successfully grown on a cheap and eco-friendly natural loess particle via a simple one-pot hydrothermal method. The resulting loess-based photocatalyst showed high efficiency and stability in the photodegradation of methylene blue under visible-light illumination. It also demonstrated good recyclability with 85% remaining activity after 9 cycling times. The use of natural minerals as a carrier opens up the possibility for the development of a novel eco-friendly photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater treatment.