Visible Light-Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Copper-Doped Carbon Dots One-Step Derived from CCA-Wood

Abstract

Developing novel eco-friendly broad-spectrum visible light photocatalysts for dye removal is one of the urgent problems for water treatment. Here, copper-doped carbon dots (CDs) were reported to be directly fabricated from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) wood waste for the photocatalytic degradation of the methylene blue dye. The properties of the resulting CDs were thoroughly characterized and analyzed, preceding an investigation into the adsorption kinetics of dye degradation. The kinetic study showed that reactant concentration was the rate-limiting factor. The obtained CDs showed a 151 mg/g photocatalytic degradation capacity. Comparing pure CDs to CDs/TiO2 composites, the former demonstrated higher photodegradation efficiency. This superiority can be attributed to the synergistic action of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation working in tandem. This study prepared Cu doped CDs and elucidated the photocatalysis mechanism of methylene blue degradation by CDs. The photodegradation of organic dyes through CDs derived from waste CCA wood emerges as an eco-friendly, facile, and highly efficient method.