Sono-photo hybrid process for the synergistic degradation of levofloxacin by FeVO4/BiVO4: Mechanisms and kinetics

A novel FeVO4/BiVO4 heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The FeVO4/BiVO4 nanostructures were characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, UV–vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The effects of catalyst dosage, contaminant concentration, initial hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration, and pH value on the degradation of levofloxacin were investigated and several repeated experiments were conducted to evaluate the stability and reproducibility. The optimized process parameters were used for mineralization experiments. Reactive oxygen species, degradation intermediates, and possible catalytic mechanisms were also investigated. The results showed that the sonophotocatalytic performance of the FeVO4/BiVO4 heterojunction catalyst was better than that of sonocatalysis and photocatalysis. In addition, the Type II heterojunction formed by the material still had good stability in the degradation of levofloxacin after 5 cycles. The possible degradation pathway and mechanism of levofloxacin by sonophotocatalysis were put forward. This work develops new sono-photo hybrid process for potential application in the field of wastewater treatment.