Research on the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline using a novel modified silicon-germanium zeolite material TiO2/GeSi-STW/CA

A novel photocatalytic material, TiO 2 /STW-zeotype germanosilicate (GeSi-STW)/cellulose acetate (CA), has been successfully synthesized. During a 60 min photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC), TiO 2 /GeSi-STW exhibited a rate constant of 0.02162 min −1 , which was notably higher than the values observed for pure TiO 2 (0.01373 min −1 ) and GeSi-STW (0.00277 min −1 ). SEM studies indicate that GeSi-STW serves as a support for TiO 2 , with TiO 2 being widely distributed on the surface of GeSi-STW. UV–vis DRS studies show that the introduction of GeSi-STW improves the low visible light absorption issue of TiO 2 . As revealed by PL and theoretical calculation outcomes, the combination of TiO 2 and GeSi-STW is capable of improving the situation where photogenerated carriers in the material tend to recombine easily. TiO 2 /GeSi-STW was successfully loaded onto CA, and TiO 2 /GeSi-STW was widely distributed in the pores of CA, which improved the problems of dispersion and difficulty of recycling of powder catalysts, and promoted the synergistic adsorption/photocatalysis of the material. TiO 2 /GeSi-STW/CA can quickly degrade TC without the need for additional oxidants and retains approximately 95 % of its original efficiency even after 5 cycles of reuse. The findings suggest that TiO 2 /GeSi-STW/CA holds significant potential for application in the treatment of antibiotic-contaminated wastewater.