Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dimethyl phthalate by magnetic dual Z-scheme iron oxide/mpg-C3N4/BiOBr/polythiophene heterostructure photocatalyst under visible light

[Display omitted] •A novel magnetic dual Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst was developed.•The inclusion of PTh polymer created the dual Z-scheme electron migration pathway.•Photocatalytic activity of the composite is superior to that of its single-component.•The novel magnetic photocatalyst can be readily separated from water, and reused. A new magnetic dual Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst, consisting of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4), BiOBr, polythiophene (PTh), and magnetic iron oxide, was developed, and its structural, optical, and electrochemical properties were analyzed. The photocatalyst was employed for the degradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) in water under visible light to evaluate its photocatalytic activity. The results revealed that the photocatalytic activity of the new heterostructure photocatalyst was superior to that of its single-component counterparts. The reaction kinetics of photocatalytic DMP degradation followed pseudo first-order kinetics and the reaction rate constant was 3.7- and 4.5-fold higher than those of pristine g-C3N4 and BiOBr, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was chiefly attributed to the dual Z-scheme heterostructure generated between mpg-C3N4, PTh, and BiOBr, which effectively hindered the recombination of photogenerated electron and hole pairs in mpg-C3N4 and BiOBr, improving the photogenerated carrier transfer efficiency. Radical trapping test results indicated that the active species, h+, ·O2–, and ·OH, coexisted during the photocatalytic reaction process, and that h+ played a major role in the destruction of DMP molecules. DMP was degraded into intermediate small-molecule products, such as acids and alcohols, which were ultimately mineralized to CO2 and H2O. The magnetic property of the new heterostructure photocatalyst enabled its straightforward separation from water using magnetic separation technology for further reuse. This study provides a new material and method for the effective removal of DMP from aqueous solution.