Abstract: Photocatalysis technology possesses the advantages of facile operation, cost-effectiveness, and absence of secondary pollution, exhibiting remarkable performance in the treatment of antibiotic wastewater. WO3 is a metal oxide with robust oxidation capacity that is non-precious, non-toxic, and harmless. Eu has its unique 4f electron configuration which enables it to serve as an electron capture center with strong electron capturing ability. In this work, g-C3N4 was modified by incorporating WO3 and Eu. WO3/Eu/g-C3N4 catalysts with varying composite ratios were prepared to construct Z-type heterojunctions. The prepared samples were employed for photocatalytic degradation of ofloxacin solution. The catalysts consisting of 3% WO3/Eu/g-C3N4 exhibited the best photocatalytic activity with a degradation rate of 80.71% after 50 min of illumination. After four stabilization cycle tests, the catalysts remained excellent photocatalytic activity indicating their good cycling stability. Free radical trapping experiments revealed that ·O2- and h+ were identified as the main active species, and a mechanism for photocatalytic degradation ofloxacin was proposed. This study provides novel insights into optimizing photocatalytic activity of the catalysts and their application in antibiotic wastewater treatment.
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