Fabrication of novel magnetically separable BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres and its application in the efficient removal of dye from aqueous phase by an environment-friendly and economical approach

Novel magnetically separable BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres were prepared and acted as a high-performance and recyclable material for efficient water purification. •Novel magnetically separable BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres have been fabricated.•BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microsphere exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity.•BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microsphere can be recovered easily from treated solution. Novel magnetically separable BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres assembled from nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by a facile solvothermal method at 160°C for 12h. Then, BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres were characterized via XRD, TEM, SEM, EDS and VSM. Congo red (CR) was selected as a pollutant model to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres. The value of coercivity (232Oe) and the saturation magnetization (33.79emug−1) were obtained, which indicated that BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres can be separated and recovered easily from the treated solution. What is more, by calculation, the initial rate constants of BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres is about 1.45 times higher than that of the pure BiOBr, which resulted from superior adsorption and transfer performance to organic contaminants in aqueous systems. Four consecutive regeneration cycles demonstrated that the BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres had high photostability under simulated solar light irradiation. According to the radical trapping experiments, the h+ radicals and O2− radicals were the two main active species that drive the photocolorization of CR pollutant by BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres under simulated solar light irradiation. This work suggests that the BiOBr/CoFe2O4 microspheres may be a promising photocatalyst for photodegrading organic pollutants and environmental remediation.