Preparation of a Bi12TiO20/U6M1/PES composite membrane for rhodamine B degradation under visible-light irradiation

Being a low-energy, reusable, and environmentally friendly degradation technology, photocatalysis has excellent application prospects in textile dye wastewater degradation. In this study, we combine the advantages of photocatalysis and membrane technology to prepare photocatalytic membranes that immobilize the photocatalyst and alleviate membrane pollution. Dual-precursor graphitic carbon nitride (U6M1) was composited with Bi 12 TiO 20 (BTO) using the annealing method to prepare a novel Δ(Z + II)-type BTO/U6M1 photocatalyst with visible-light response capacity. Subsequently, BTO/U6M1/PES composite photocatalytic membranes were fabricated using the nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method, and the photodegradation activity of the composite membranes was executed against rhodamine B (RhB) dye. The results indicated that the composite membrane exhibiting the best photocatalytic performance achieved nearly 100 % degradation of RhB within 120 min. Furthermore, the membrane with optimal photocatalytic performance retained photocatalytic activity for five consecutive dye degradation tests, demonstrating its reusability.