Photocatalytic degradation of cationic and anionic organic pollutants in water via Fe-g-C3N4/CF as a macroscopic photo-Fenton catalyst under visible light irradiation

An industrially applicable Fe(II)/Fe(III) doped in g-C3N4 photo-catalyst has been synthesized by immobilizing this Fenton-like catalyst on the surface of carbon fibers felt (CF). Different techniques such as FTIR, XDR, FE-SEM, BET, XPS, and elemental mapping are used for demonstrating its morphological features. The results revealed that the presence of iron oxides had extended the specific surface area of the produced g-C3N4 network. The photo-degradation of MB and RhB, as cationic, and MO as anionic organic pollutants indicated that FeCl3/melamine molar ratio of (1:5) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activities. The visible light can increase the rate of Fenton-like reaction over the catalyst in the presence of H2O2. The radical scavenger experiments did show that ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and isopropanol as holes and hydroxyl radicals scavengers extensively decrease the efficiency of the process. The final catalyst, that is, Fe-g-C3N4 (1:5)/CF, was stable and efficient after 5 cycles. Therefore, the prepared catalyst is offered as an efficient catalyst in the wastewater treatments.