The synergistic effect of Ag/AgCl@ZIF-8 modified g-C3N4 composite and peroxymonosulfate for the enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin

In this work, a series of Ag/AgCl@ZIF-8 modified g-C3N4 composites were synthesized and used to degrade levofloxacin (LVFX) in water under visible light irradiation with the assistant of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The morphologies and physicochemical properties of the materials were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR, and DRS technologies. The results of photocatalytic experiments showed that in the presence of PMS, the degradation rate of LVFX reached 87.3% in 60min. Furthermore, factors affecting photocatalytic efficiency such as the concentration of PMS, photocatalyst dosage and different pH values were investigated. The degradation products of LVFX were analyzed by LC-MS and the degradation pathway was inferred. Active species trapping experiments indicated that O2–, h+ and SO4− played important roles in the degradation process in the presence of PMS and the possible degradation mechanism was put forward. This work provides a photocatalyst system that is beneficial to the separation of photogenerated carriers and demonstrates the great potential of PMS-assisted photocatalysis in the purification of organic pollutants. Ag/AgCl@ZIF-8 decorated g-C3N4 composite was synthesized and used to degrade levofloxacin (LVFX) in water under visible light irradiation with the assistant of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the first time in this work. When the mass ratio of Ag/AgCl@ZIF-8 to g-C3N4 was 10%, 87.3% LVFX was degraded within 60 min in the presence of 2.0 mM PMS. The degradation products of LVFX were analyzed by LC-MS and the degradation pathway was proposed. The corresponding degradation mechanism was proposed by active species capture experiments. [Display omitted] •Ag/AgCl@ZIF-8/g-C3N4 composite with multiple electron transfer was synthesized.•87.3% levofloxacin was degraded within 60min under 10%-AZCN+PMS system.•The degradation pathway was proposed by LC-MS analysis.