Optimization and Degradation Mechanism of Photocatalytic Removal of Bisphenol A Using Zn0.9Fe0.1S Synthesized by Microwave-assisted Method

The sulfide photocatalyst of Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S was successfully synthesized by a facile microwave-assisted method, and Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S photocatalysts were characterized using SEM, EDX, XRD and BET. The specific surface area of synthesized Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S is 78.1 m 2 g −1 , and total pore volume is 0.4 cm 3 g −1 . With bisphenol A (BPA) as a target pollutant, photocatalytic system of UV + Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S + H 2 O 2 was set up. Some influencing parameters, including H 2 O 2 dosage, initial pH value, initial concentration of BPA and Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S dosage, were investigated, and the stability of the Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S was also studied during the photocatalysis. The optimum values of operating parameters were found at an initial pH value of 5.0, a H 2 O 2 dosage of 0.15 mmol L −1 and a Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S dosage of 0.08 g when the initial concentration of BPA was 10 mg L −1 . Under the optimal conditions, the highest removal rate of BPA achieved 95%. After seven consecutive reaction cycles, the degradation efficiency of BPA could still reach 85% and there was only a little dissolution of Zn 2+ and Fe 2+ . Compared with the traditional photo-Fenton system, the UV + Zn 0.9 Fe 0.1 S + H 2 O 2 system can not only improve the degradation efficiency of BPA, but also reduce the dosage of H 2 O 2 and thus reduce the processing cost.