Green synthesis of BiVO4/Eco-graphene nanostructures for the elimination of sulfamethoxazole by adsorption and photo-degradation using blue LED light

Photo-catalysts based on BiVO4 (BV) and Eco-graphene (EG) were synthesized and obtained in a single step with high-quality properties. These nanostructures (NEs) were obtained through a green chemistry route and by adding 2, 3, and 5 wt% of a homemade EG. The BV/X EG NEs (where X = corresponds to the weight % of EG) demonstrated high photocatalytic activity, obtaining Sulfamethoxazole degradation percentages of 40, 45, 52, and 57 for BV, BV/2 EG, BV/3 EG, and BV/5 EG respectively, using a blue LED light. In addition, it was observed that the presence of EG slightly affected the surface area and porosity of BV. Moreover, it was observed that the presence of EG stabilized the scheelite monoclinic phase (m-s), and decreased the crystal size and band-gap values of BV-based samples. It was detected that EG contents increased the BV reduction, creating oxygen vacancies and V4+ states, which favored electron transfer, enhanced the photo-catalytic activity, and decreased the recombination rate. The adsorption influence of the BV/EG system was also studied. Finally, the stability tests of these materials after four cycles of reuse allowed keeping practically the full degradation capacity, demonstrating that these NEs represent a promising material driven by visible light that can be used for wastewater decontamination in the presence of drugs. [Display omitted] •A green, one-step method was applied to obtain BiVO4/Eco-graphene-based catalysts.•Eco-graphene improved the optical properties of the nanostructures.•BiVO4/5 EG catalyst improved SMX photodegradation reaching 57% in 480 min.•Low-cost blue LEDs were used as an irradiation source.•Eco-graphene effect on the photocatalytic activity of the BV/EG system.