Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by magnetically separated visible-light photocatalyst BiVO_4/Fe_3O_4

A kind of magnetically separable visible-light photocatalyst BiVO4/Fe3O4 was prepared by ultrasonic method and BiVO4 supported on magnetite particles to enable recovery after photocatalytic degradation.The physical and photocatalytic performances of as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and transmission electron microscope(TEM).The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue(MB) was studied including the effects of photocatalyst dosage,initial concentration,pH value and the existence of electron acceptors on photocatalytic degradation.The results indicated that after 5 h,the methylene blue was degradated under the conditions of initial concentration 10mg/L,BiVO4/Fe3O4 concentration was 2.0g/ml,pH value was 11 and the existence of K2S2O8.The photocatalyst can be recycled with a little decreasing of photocatalytic activity,and the degradation rate of methylene blue was still higher than 80% after three cycles.