Photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A in the presence of C-doped ZnO: Effect of operational parameters and photodegradation mechanism

C-doped ZnO with different molar ratio of carbon content were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectra. The C-doped ZnO catalysts exhibited excellent photoactivity on bisphenol A degradation under UV irradiation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Under optimized conditions, C-doped ZnO reached 100% BPA degradation and 70% BPA mineralization after 24 h of UV irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation was found to follow the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model. Furthermore, the detail degradation mechanism was investigated by the analysis of intermediates. (C) 2015 The Korean Society of industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.