Novel marigold-like CuO@Cu-based MOFs composite photocatalyst for high-performance removal of alkylphenol ethoxylate under visible light

Alkylphenol polyethoxylate (APEO n ) is an emerging contaminant mainly referred to nonylphenol polyethoxylate (NPEO n ) and octylphenol polyethoxylate (OPEO n ). A novel multiscale rough composite photocatalyst (CuO@Cu-H 3 BTC) with marigold-flower nanosheets and sub-micron flakes was successfully constructed for photodegradation of OPEO n and NPEO n under visible light. Several technologies (such as SEM , EDS, FTIR, XRD, XPS and EPR) were utilized to characterize the structures and properties of the as-obtained sample. The effect of OPEO n and NPEO n removal by CuO@Cu-H 3 BTC MOF and the influence of reaction conditions on the removal efficiency were explored. It was found that 96% of OPEO n and 79% of NPEO n were removed under the action of adsorption in darkness and degradation in visible light irradiation within 120 min when treating 25 mg/L OPEO n and NPEO n solution with 1.6 g/L of CuO@Cu-H 3 BTC MOF composite. The corresponding OPEO n and NPEO n removal efficiency could still achieve almost 72% and 51% after the CuO@Cu-H 3 BTC MOF was recycled five times, respectively. The degradation mechanism of APEO n investigation revealed that the free radicals and holes generated in the CuO@Cu-H 3 BTC MOF degraded APEO n , and the existence of holes was confirmed to play the major role through quenching experiment. In summary, this facile and novel CuO@Cu-H 3 BTC MOFs composite photocatalyst boosts the application platform in wastewater treatment .