Simultaneous electricity production and removal of oxytetracycline by photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) system utilizing Ag/g-C3N4/ZnO/Zn photoanode

Herein, a photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) was introduced as an eco-friendly procedure to meet the demand of power generation from the water media contaminated with an antibiotic. This goal was achieved by converting the chemical energy of the contaminant present in contaminated water. For this purpose, Ag/g-C 3 N 4 /ZnO/Zn composite (acting as photoanode) was fabricated and applied to remove oxytetracycline (OTC) from aqueous solutions and simultaneously generate electric power. The variables having influence on OTC removal efficiency and power generation in the applied PFC, such as initial OTC concentration levels, reaction time, and pH values, were all examined and optimized. Under the optimal conditions set (OTC concentration, 20 mg/L; pH, 7; reaction time, 2 h), the maximum removal efficiency of 94.3 % for OTC was accomplished. In addition, respective values of 584 mV, 90.08 μA cm −2 and 14.41 μW cm −2 were obtained for the voltage of open circuit (Voc), current density of short circuit (Jsc) and maximum power density (Pmax). In addition, the photoanode exhibited a superb recyclability following multiple experimental uses. To sum up, this study is mainly centered on the implication a new strategy for the pollutant removal along with generating electric power, both of which highly contribute to environmental safety and energy production.