Visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline using TiO2/g-C3N4/biochar catalyst

TiO2/g-C3N4/biochar (TCNBC) catalysts were prepared by the hydrolysis method for the photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline antibiotic (DC), with biochar obtained from the pyrolysis of Phragmites australis. The catalysts were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDX), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) and nitrogen adsorption/desorption. The photocatalytic activity results showed that the TCNBC catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity than pure TiO2 or g-C3N4. Its peak catalytic activity, achieving a decomposition efficiency of 91.93% and a mineralization efficiency of 81.50%, can be attributed to the synergistic effect of biochar, TiO2, and g-C3N4. Even after four cycles of use, the catalyst still maintained relatively high activity for the degradation of DC. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of TCNBC decreased from 91.93% to 86.30% after four recycling events.