With the widespread utilization of antibiotics and the development of detection technology, more and more concerns have been aroused in the hazards of antibiotic residues in ecosystem. The existence of antibiotic substances, even in vestigial degree, would induce resistance in bacterial strains. Developing efficacious methods to relief this potential crisis is urgently required by sustainable society. In this work, graphitic carbon nitride-iron oxide (CN@IO) composites were first prepared by in-situ thermal condensation of DICY onto iron oxide to form a functional support (g-C₃N₄). The characterization results indicate that there exist redox effects on iron oxide during the calcination process of CN@IO composite. Several methods were developed to introduce copper elements into the p...[ Read more ]

With the widespread utilization of antibiotics and the development of detection technology, more and more concerns have been aroused in the hazards of antibiotic residues in ecosystem. The existence of antibiotic substances, even in vestigial degree, would induce resistance in bacterial strains. Developing efficacious methods to relief this potential crisis is urgently required by sustainable society. In this work, graphitic carbon nitride-iron oxide (CN@IO) composites were first prepared by in-situ thermal condensation of DICY onto iron oxide to form a functional support (g-C₃N₄). The characterization results indicate that there exist redox effects on iron oxide during the calcination process of CN@IO composite. Several methods were developed to introduce copper elements into the preparation process of the catalysts, in the purpose of obtaining bimetallic materials with enhanced catalytic activities in circumneutral conditions. The activity of the as-prepared catalyst for the degradation of CIP was investigated systematically in dark Fenton system. Also, the effects of experimental conditions on CIP oxidation were studied through altering several key reaction parameters involving pH, catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, as well as initial concentration of CIP and H₂O₂. In-depth analysis on the function of copper for Fenton reactions was conducted. To further investigate the mechanism of the CIP degradation, modeling on reaction kinetics was conducted. Summarily, the fabricated graphitic carbon nitride-bimetallic composite is a promising heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the degradation of refractory contaminants and deserves in-depth investigation. Since no lighting is required in the oxidation process, this work provides a good foundation to develop an easy to scale-up and industrial applicable process for antibiotic degradation.