{"title":"A novel S-scheme heterojunction magnetic photocatalyst for enhanced degradation of naphthalene in various aqueous solutions and soil","authors":"Moones Honarmand , Ahmad Aryafar , Seyede Sajedeh Rezaei , Atena Naeimi","doi":"10.1016/j.jphotochem.2025.116314","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment has caused global concerns due to their adverse effects on living organisms. Photocatalysts have emerged as a suitable solution for this problem. The present study introduces an innovative approach in which a magnetic ternary heterojunction photocatalyst based on spinel zinc ferrite (ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), tri-cobalt tetraoxide (Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), and bentonite was synthesized. The photocatalytic degradation of naphthalene was carried out by ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-bentonite-Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> under solar irradiation. The effects of six operating conditions including photolysis, adsorption, type of catalyst, dosage of photocatalyst, initial naphthalene concentration, and initial pH value were checked experimentally. Under optimized conditions, the ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-bentonite-Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> heterojunction photocatalyst could altogether remove naphthalene. In addition, a high potential was observed in the practical application of the ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-bentonite-Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> system for the degradation of naphthalene in tap water, seawater, wastewater and soil contaminated with naphthalene. The impact of irrigation on the growth of wheat plants was evaluated. It was proved that the ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-bentonite-Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> system could degrade naphthalene into non-toxic intermediates, and the seed germination rate was even higher using treated water compared to distilled water. Quench experiments determined that all the active species participated in the photodegradation of naphthalene over ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-bentonite-Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>, and based on the findings, the S-scheme mechanism was proposed. The reusability of ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-bentonite-Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> magnetic photocatalyst was examined and approximately 16% decrease in naphthalene degradation efficiency was observed after three consecutive runs. Overall, this study opened a new perspective for the practical application of magnetic heterojunction photocatalysts in the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in aqueous solutions and soil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16782,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A-chemistry","volume":"464 ","pages":"Article 116314"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A-chemistry","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1010603025000541","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/7 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment has caused global concerns due to their adverse effects on living organisms. Photocatalysts have emerged as a suitable solution for this problem. The present study introduces an innovative approach in which a magnetic ternary heterojunction photocatalyst based on spinel zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4), tri-cobalt tetraoxide (Co3O4), and bentonite was synthesized. The photocatalytic degradation of naphthalene was carried out by ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 under solar irradiation. The effects of six operating conditions including photolysis, adsorption, type of catalyst, dosage of photocatalyst, initial naphthalene concentration, and initial pH value were checked experimentally. Under optimized conditions, the ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 heterojunction photocatalyst could altogether remove naphthalene. In addition, a high potential was observed in the practical application of the ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 system for the degradation of naphthalene in tap water, seawater, wastewater and soil contaminated with naphthalene. The impact of irrigation on the growth of wheat plants was evaluated. It was proved that the ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 system could degrade naphthalene into non-toxic intermediates, and the seed germination rate was even higher using treated water compared to distilled water. Quench experiments determined that all the active species participated in the photodegradation of naphthalene over ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4, and based on the findings, the S-scheme mechanism was proposed. The reusability of ZnFe2O4-bentonite-Co3O4 magnetic photocatalyst was examined and approximately 16% decrease in naphthalene degradation efficiency was observed after three consecutive runs. Overall, this study opened a new perspective for the practical application of magnetic heterojunction photocatalysts in the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in aqueous solutions and soil.
期刊介绍：
JPPA publishes the results of fundamental studies on all aspects of chemical phenomena induced by interactions between light and molecules/matter of all kinds.
All systems capable of being described at the molecular or integrated multimolecular level are appropriate for the journal. This includes all molecular chemical species as well as biomolecular, supramolecular, polymer and other macromolecular systems, as well as solid state photochemistry. In addition, the journal publishes studies of semiconductor and other photoactive organic and inorganic materials, photocatalysis (organic, inorganic, supramolecular and superconductor).
The scope includes condensed and gas phase photochemistry, as well as synchrotron radiation chemistry. A broad range of processes and techniques in photochemistry are covered such as light induced energy, electron and proton transfer; nonlinear photochemical behavior; mechanistic investigation of photochemical reactions and identification of the products of photochemical reactions; quantum yield determinations and measurements of rate constants for primary and secondary photochemical processes; steady-state and time-resolved emission, ultrafast spectroscopic methods, single molecule spectroscopy, time resolved X-ray diffraction, luminescence microscopy, and scattering spectroscopy applied to photochemistry. Papers in emerging and applied areas such as luminescent sensors, electroluminescence, solar energy conversion, atmospheric photochemistry, environmental remediation, and related photocatalytic chemistry are also welcome.
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