Effect of HCl and HNO3 on the synthesis of pure and silver-based WO3 for improved photocatalytic activity under sunlight

[Display omitted] •The effect of HCl and HNO3 on the synthesis of pure and Ag-based WO3 was studied.•HCl or HNO3 showed no significant differences in morphology and activity of pure WO3.•Catalysts synthesized with HCl have Ag and AgCl, lower band gaps and higher activity.•WO3-5% (HCl 1.5) exhibited higher acetaminophen degradation under simulated sunlight.•O2•− was the main reactive species in the Ag@WO3@AgCl-driven acetaminophen removal. Heterogeneous photocatalysis have been considered an important and efficient alternative water and wastewater treatment process. In this area, different semiconductors, such as tungsten trioxide, have been investigated aiming to enhance photocatalytic performance. WO3 is known to be an efficient material with high stability in acidic conditions. In the present work, pure and Ag/AgCl-doped WO3 photocatalysts were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. A discussion of the effects of two pH-controlling agents, HCl and HNO3, in the final properties of the catalyst is reported for the first time. The materials were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, EDS and UV–vis DRS. All catalysts showed similar or enhanced band gap values compared to a standard photocatalyst benchmark (TiO2 P25). The type of acid did not lead to significant differences in morphology or photocatalytic activity of undoped catalysts. In contrast, doped catalysts prepared using HCl resulted in particles of flower-like morphology, with higher uniformity and slightly narrower band gap values. Furthermore, the use of HCl in the synthesis of silver-doped WO3 resulted in catalysts containing AgCl, while Ag0 was the major dopant species when HNO3 was used. All materials exhibited good photocatalytic activity, with a maximum of 75.4% acetaminophen degradation under simulated sunlight achieved by the catalyst prepared with HCl and doped with 5% Ag-equivalent. For this catalyst, the degradation kinetics was found to be consistent with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L−H) model, and reusability tests showed no significant decrease in the degradation efficiency after four cycles. Finally, the effects of different scavengers suggest that O2•− species play a major role in acetaminophen degradation with the material containing WO3, Ag and AgCl.