Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline antibiotic using m-BiVO4 photocatalyst under visible light irradiation

Abstract

Abstract The monoclinic Bismuth Vanadate (m-BiVO4) photocatalyst was synthesized via hydrothermal technique. The characterization studies confirmed that the m-BiVO4 exhibits monoclinic scheelite structure, twinning star-like morphology and high optical absorption. The photodegradation of Tetracycline (TC) using m-BiVO4 reveals that degradation efficiency of 96% and rate constant of 0.029\xa0min−1 were achieved at 60\xa0min of visible-light irradiation. The rate constant for m-BiVO4 is 2.23 times greater than the commercially available TiO2 owing to small crystallite size and narrow bandgap. These excellent characteristics strongly suggest that the prepared m-BiVO4 may serve as better photocatalyst for the removal of antibiotic pollutants from wastewater.