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Photocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde under visible light using BiVO4-TiO2 synthesized via ultrasonic blending

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Abstract

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is one of the primary indoor air pollutants, and efficiently eliminating it, especially at low concentrations, remains challenging. In this study, BiVO4-TiO2 catalyst was developed using ultrasonic blending technology for the photocatalytic oxidation of low-level indoor HCHO. The crystal structure, surface morphology, element distribution, and active oxidation species of the catalyst were examined using XRD, SEM, TEM, UV–Vis, EDS, and ESR techniques. Our results demonstrated that the BiVO4-TiO2 catalyst, prepared by ultrasonic blending, exhibited good oxidation performance and stability. The HCHO concentration reduced from 1.050 to 0.030 mg/m3 within 48 h, achieving a removal rate of 97.1%. The synergy between BiVO4 and TiO2 enhanced the efficiency of separating photogenerated carriers and minimized the likelihood of recombination between photogenerated electrons and holes. Additionally, this synergy significantly enhanced the presence of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) on the catalyst, resulting in an oxidation performance superior to that of either BiVO4 or TiO2. Our research offers valuable insights for the development of new photocatalysts to address HCHO pollution.

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Funding

This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (21501097, 52000101 and 51902166), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20170954, BK20150890 and BK20190786), the Qing Lan Project of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), NUIST-Reading Research Institute Pump-Priming Project, and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX23_1384).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technologies, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environmental Monitoring & Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Jingyi Yang, Qiong Huang, Yueyin Sun, Guofang An, Xin Li, Junjie Mao, Chen Wei, Bo Yang & Dawei Li

  2. School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Qiong Huang & Tao Tao

  3. Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK

    Hong Yang

Authors
  1. Jingyi Yang
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  2. Qiong Huang
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  3. Yueyin Sun
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  4. Guofang An
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  5. Xin Li
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  6. Junjie Mao
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  7. Chen Wei
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  8. Bo Yang
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  9. Dawei Li
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  10. Tao Tao
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  11. Hong Yang
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Jingyi Yang, Qiong Huang, and Hong Yang; methodology: Qiong Huang, Jingyi Yang, Guofang An, and Hong Yang; formal analysis: Qiong Huang, Tao Tao, Bo Yang, Jingyi Yang, and Dawei Li; data curation: Yueyin Sun, Xin Li, and Junjie Mao; writing—original draft preparation: Qiong Huang and Jingyi Yang; language modification: Chen Wei and Hong Yang.

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Correspondence to Qiong Huang.

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Yang, J., Huang, Q., Sun, Y. et al. Photocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde under visible light using BiVO4-TiO2 synthesized via ultrasonic blending. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 30085–30098 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33192-2

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