Facile synthesis of an effective g-C3N4-based catalyst for advanced oxidation processes and degradation of organic compounds

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) aided by catalysts can efficiently degrade organic pollutants and decontaminate wastewater. In this work, a highly active catalyst composed of FeMn-functionalized graphitic carbon nitride (FeMn-C3N4) for AOPs is synthesized via a green synthetic route, involving a small amount of water and no organic solvents. The synthesis also produces only minimal wastewater as a biproduct. The material contains uniformly dispersed Fe and Mn atoms in the framework of g-C3N4. It shows a unique and high catalytic activity for three AOPs, namely a Fenton-like reaction, persulfate activation and visible-light photocatalysis, while also being reusable several times afterwards. Its catalytic activity is 2.6- to 8.0-fold higher than that of g-C3N4 in all three reactions. The optimal reaction conditions for the catalyst are determined, and the mechanisms by which it drives the reactions are proposed. Notably, the Fe and Mn species present in it contribute substantially to its enhanced catalytic activity. Moreover, compared with g-C3N4, FeMn-C3N4 has a narrower band gap and helps generate more OH, SO4- and O-1(2) species during the reaction. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of FeMn-C3N4 are more delocalized than those of g-C3N4. As a result, the former shows enhanced photo-induced charge carrier separation. This highly active catalyst obtained with a facile synthetic route for these three aforementioned AOPs can have great potential for water treatment and environmental remediation applications.

Automated summary

FeMn-functionalized graphitic carbon nitride (FeMn-C3N4) is a highly active catalyst synthesized via a green route, showing unique and high catalytic activity for Fenton-like reaction, persulfate activation, and visible-light photocatalysis. Its catalytic activity is 2.6-8.0 times higher than that of g-C3N4, with potential applications in water treatment and environmental remediation.