Removal of mixed pollutants of perfluorooctanoic acid and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol via adsorption-photocatalysis using Ga2O3-Bi4O7 combining with fluorine-doped covalent triazine framework: Role of different active species

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) are significant pollutants found in textile wastewater, posing severe threats to ecological environments. The construction of an adsorption-photocatalytic system enables the efficient removal of mixed pollutants by harnessing their synergistic effect, thereby overcoming the limitations of removing mixed pollutants with single water treatment technologies. Herein, fluorine-doped covalent triazine framework (F-CTF) was combined with Ga₂O₃-Bi₄O₇ heterojunction to obtain Ga₂O₃-Bi₄O₇/F-CTF (GaBi/CTF). F-CTF greatly facilitates the adsorption process and provides convenience for photocatalysis. Simultaneously, the excellent conductivity of F-CTF promoted the separation of photoinduced charge carriers in Ga₂O₃-Bi₄O₇. GaBi/CTF5 (5 is the mass percentage of F-CTF) showed excellent degradation performance, and the removal rates of PFOA and 2,4,6-TCP reached 93.0 % and 100.0 % within 90 min, respectively. Mechanistic analysis revealed that 2,4,6-TCP and PFOA were attacked by distinct active species because of the disparate characteristics. The presence of phenolic hydroxyl groups makes 2,4,6-TCP more vulnerable to superoxide radicals (·O₂^–) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH), whereas PFOA is oxidized by holes (h⁺). The coexistence of mixed pollutants with diverse characteristics enables optimal utilization of active species generated within photocatalytic system. Moreover, the good stability of GaBi/CTF5 provides a feasible solution for efficient treatment of mixed pollutants in textile wastewater.