Construction of polynary systems by coupling Cd/CdS with magnetic recyclable CuO/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4 nanocomposite for enhancing photo-Fenton degradation of antibiotics

The exploitation of magnetic recyclable and effective degradation photocatalysts with wide-pH-range response was essential to the practical application in the photo-Fenton process. In this study, Cd/CdS coupling with CuO/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4(CF) was employed to prepare an efficient and recyclable photocatalyst Cd/CdS-CuO/Fe2O3/CuFe2O4(CCCF). The obtained CCCF was utilized to activate H2O2 for the photo-Fenton degradation of tetracycline after verifying optical properties and energy band structures. The photo-Fenton degradation performance of CCCF on tetracycline was researched in the effects of photocatalyst concentration, initial pH and H2O2 volume. The photo-Fenton removal efficiency of CCCF+H2O2 was capable of achieving 82.43 % under the optimal reaction condition, which was apparently higher than that of Cd/CdS and CF. The enhanced degradation efficiency could be owned to the effective carriers separation thanks to the p-n heterojunction. The development of such photocatalysts offers a new approach to degrading organic pollutants from industrial wastewater, making it a valuable tool for contaminants degradation.