The Wood/MoS2 Composites with Good Adsorption and Photocatalytic Ability for Highly Efficient Removal of Organic Dye Molecules

Abstract

AbstractOrganic dye‐contained wastewater is a major threat to the global environment and public health. In this study, natural wood and MoS2 are combined to create effective photocatalysts for removing organic pollutants from water under light irradiation. The results show that the photocatalytic degradation activity of wood/MoS2 composites are obviously superior to that of natural wood under solar light as well as possess outstanding stability after three reaction cycles. The improvement in photocatalytic performance for photodegradation is primarily due to an increase in specific surface area and the introduction of catalytic active sites from the edge S, which favors adsorption of organic pollutants and accelerates the degradation process. The synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis also ensures that the composited catalyst is highly universal in its application to organic dye degradation, including RhB (Rhodamine B), MB (Methylene Blue), and MO (Methyl Orange); the kinetic constant for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB, MO, and MB are 0.040, 0.035, and 0.032 min−1, respectively and the degradation performance can be well maintained after three cycle tests. Our study has proved that the wood/MoS2 composite is a novel, low‐cost photocatalyst that plays an important role in environmental protection.