Simultaneous Pollutant Removal and Ag Recovery in an Expanded Water Self-Purification System by Mo–Sn Quantum Dots

Toxic organic pollutants and heavy metals (HMs) present in aquatic environments have been a global challenge for water purification, which is often difficult to address even with massive resources and energy consumption. Herein, a new strategy is proposed to achieve simultaneous pollutant removal and Ag recovery in an expanded water self-purification system based on Mo-SnS₂ quantum dots (MSS QDs) with dual-reaction-center (DRC). The innovative discovery is that the electrons of pollutants are finally utilized by Ag⁺ and dissolved oxygen through the constructed interfacial process without any sacrificial agent or additional energy consumption. Especially for antibiotics, one of the typical emerging contaminants (ECs), the degradation rate reaches 100% in a very short time. In N₂ environment, the Ag recovery rate even reaches 94%. It is estimated that the cost of wastewater treatment is only $0.01/m³ (USD), and it even comes with huge benefits from Ag recovery in this expanded water self-purification system. This work provides novel technical references for developing multifunctional and low-consumption water purification technologies in response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.