SnO2/Fe2O3/Cu2O composites as catalysts for photoelectrocatalytic degradation of benzotriazoles

Benzotriazole (BTA) is a kind of nitrogen-containing organic matter with great impact on the environment and biology. In order to further improve the degradation effect of BTA, SnO2/Fe2O3/Cu2O (SFC) photocatalytic materials have been successfully prepared by one-pot hydrothermal method. According to the material characterization and experimental results, SFC has a uniform distribution of active sites, which is conducive to the efficient degradation of BTA in water. When the pH is 6.68, the dosage is 0.09 g/L, and the time is 40 min, the degradation effect is the best. The removal rate of BTA by SFC reached 99.89 %. The repeatability test showed that the removal rate of SFC can reach more than 99.27 % after five cycles of experiments.Through PL, UV–Vis and i-t curve analysis, it proved the main mechanism of degradation of BTA by PEC enhanced by SFC. Finally, the possible degradation pathways of BTA were speculated, which provided a new technical support and theoretical basis for the effective treatment of wastewater containing BTA.