Carbon Dioxide Anion Radicals Assisted Highly Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production over Bi(C2O4)OH

Carbon dioxide anion radical (CO2 (center dot-)) can act as a versatile single electron reductant, but its generation pathways are quite limited. Herein, we demonstrate that oxalic acid (OA) could be effectively and continuously utilized to produce CO2 (center dot-)over Bi-(C2O4)OH, a novel photocatalyst, under light irradiation. Bi-(C2O4)OH would proceed with self-redox reactions under the light irradiation producing CO2 center dot-, through the oxidation of C2O4 (2-). OA in the solution could recoordinate with Bi3+, thus maintaining the structure of the photocatalysts and the stability of the reactions. Benefiting from the fast reaction between CO2 (center dot-) and O-2 in forming O-center dot (2) -, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) would be efficiently produced (219.0 mu mol/h). This study proposes a novel approach for harnessing OA containing wastewater and explores its potential application in the efficient production of H2O2.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a novel approach for the continuous production of carbon dioxide anion radical (CO2 (center dot-)) and efficient generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by utilizing oxalic acid in wastewater through a photocatalyst Bi-(C2O4)OH.