LAUSR

Abstract The photocatalytic conversion of toxic heavy metal ions with the simultaneous degradation of pollutants is considered to be a promising wastewater treatment strategy. In this study, a novel Z-scheme (CNT-Ni2P-CNT/Er3+:Y3Al5O12)@Bi12GeO20 photocatalyst is successfully prepared. This photocatalyst displays excellent photocatalytic activity in the conversion of Cr(VI) with the simultaneous degradation of Rhodamine B under solar light irradiation, which is ascribed to the enhanced separation efficiency of photogenerated carrier, increased oxidation surface and broadened light response range. Certain influencing factors, such as the irradiation time, initial concentrations and catalyst dosage, are discussed. These results show that when the concentrations of Cr(VI) and Rhodamine B are 15 mg/L and 5.0 mg/L, respectively, and the photocatalyst dosage is 1.0 g/L, the highest conversion ratio (93.66%) and degradation ratio (73.34%) can be obtained. This work utilizes solar light to achieve the conversion of toxic heavy metal ions with the simultaneous degradation of pollutants.