High-performance research of the photocatalyst of amorphous iron oxide supported on the novel Bi-based compound in the photo-Fenton system for the removal of dye pollutant

The research and application of bismuth-based semiconductor photocatalysis for the green and environmentally friendly degradation of dye pollutants have garnered widespread attention from scholars. The key factor in photocatalytic activity lies in the development of composite catalysts with high activity and high stability. A new type of Fe/Bi2CuO4-PVAC photocatalyst (FBC) was constructed by low-temperature calcination, which can effectively avoid serious iron leaching problems. Under the photocatalytic Fenton system, the composite material FBC exhibits high-performance degradation of various organic pollutants such as methyl orange (MO), tetracycline (TC), Rhodamine B (RhB), and methyl blue (MB), and the optimal removal rates were 98.67%, 97.90%, 91.50% and 96.32%, respectively. The structure, morphology, optics, and electronic properties were systematically characterized. Finally, A possible photocatalytic mechanism of FBC composite materials was proposed in the photo-Fenton catalysis reasonably, suggesting that the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) is ·OH in the photo-Fenton degradation of composite catalysts, rather than ·O2- generated in the Bi2CuO4 photocatalysis. The high performance mainly stems from the synergistic effect between photo-induced charge carrier separation and the interface Fenton-like reaction between iron oxide and H2O2. In addition, the excellent degradation performance and chemical stability provide the possibility for practical potential applications. •The research on Bi2CuO4 as a new Bi based composite photocatalyst is less, and the preparation process is relatively complex. Therefore, we have successfully constructed a new Fe/Bi2CuO4-PVAC photocatalyst (FBC) through the doping of iron elements. Through low-temperature calcination and the addition of PVA, not only can a robust carbon skeleton support be constructed, but the loading of Fe/Bi2CuO4 is further stabilized, effectively addressing the issue of iron leaching.•The potential photocatalytic Fenton mechanism of the FBC composite material has been deduced through a combination of characterization and capture experiments. The catalytic effects of various dyes, magnetic retrieval experiments, and chemical stability tests have all fully demonstrated the practicality of this catalyst.