Concentrated-degradation “reactor” for in-situ tetrabromobisphenol A removal based on the precise design of pollution/photocatalyst micro-interface

Abstract

Concentration-degradation is an effective strategy for removing emerging pollutants at low concentrations, yet the design of the contaminant/catalyst micro-interface remains a challenge. In this work, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) as a model pollutant, a precise micro-interface based on ZrO₂/ZnIn₂S₄ hollow microspheres were designed to construct a concentration-degradation “reactor” for removing low concentrations of pollutants in water. The ZrO₂/ZnIn₂S₄ achieved efficient photocatalytic degradation (92.95 %) of TBBPA with excellent adsorption capacity (289.05 mg g⁻¹). The experimental results and DFT calculation indicated that a surface electric field was developed with special interfacial interactions of hydroxyl/Zr and Br/S vacancies, which facilitated the attack of h⁺ on the TBBPA to achieve rapid separation of photogenerated carriers. In the presence of e^-, h⁺, ·OH, and ·O₂^–, the TBBPA was converted to small molecules by debromination, hydroxyl substitution, and beta-scission pathways. This work provides novel insights into the adsorption and degradation of pollutants from an interfacial perspective and presents the potential solution for the removal of trace emerging pollutants.