Photocatalytic reduction of U(VI) in wastewater by mGO/g-C3N4 nanocomposite under visible LED light irradiation

Efficient elimination of U(VI) from uranium wastewater is an urgent task for sustainable nuclear energy and environmental protection. In this study, magnetic graphene oxide decorated graphitic carbon nitride (mGO/g-C3N4) nanocomposite was prepared and used for photocatalytic reduction of U(VI) in wastewater under visible LED light irradiation for the first time. The batch experiments indicated that the mGO/g-C3N4 (mGCN) nanocomposite could efficiently reduce U(VI) under visible LED light, and a high U(VI) extraction capacity of 2880.6 mg/g was obtained with an extraction efficiency of 96.02%. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) elemental mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses demonstrated that the soluble U(VI) was immobilized by transforming it to metastudtite ((UO2)O2·2H2O) by mGCN nanocomposite under visible LED light irradiation. This work indicated that the mGCN is a promising visible light catalyst for treatment of uranium wastewater.