Magnetic Fe3O4@TiO2 nanocomposites to degrade bisphenol A, one emerging contaminant, under visible and long wavelength UV light irradiation

The environmentally benign Fe3O4@TiO2 heterojunction photocatalysts were fabricated to remove Bisphenol A (BPA) under visible and long wavelength UV light irradiation. To reveal the incorporation of Fe3O4 and TiO2 nanoparticles, Fe3O4@TiO2 composite was systematically characterized by XRD, Raman, FTIR, XANES and UV-Vis. Both titanium and iron were close to their highest oxidation state, and retained the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 under the high temperature calcination. Superior photocatalytic BPA degradation rate (kobs=0.0152 min−1) was recorded with 500FT, under long wavelength UV light for first 30 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was recorded due to the moderate iron loading, which reduced the hole-pair separation effectively, and shifted the band-gap in the visible range. In addition, the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 in 500FT, which play a crucial role in recollecting the used catalyst from environment, greatly promotes the practical applications of Fe3O4@TiO2 photocatalyst. This study provides an understanding of facile synthesis and characteristics of low-cost materials for wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] •Fe3O4@TiO2 composites were synthesized at different calcination temperature.•500FT calcination results in to the enhanced crystal structure of TiO2.•BPA degradation under UV–vis light irradiation was favored by OH• existence.•Superior photocatalytic BPA degradation rate of kobs = 0.015 min−1 was recorded.•Hydrated radii and pHzpc unveils water chemistry on aggregation and sedimentation.