Ag-TiO2 Photovoltaic Synergistic Field-catalyzed Degradation Performance of Tetracycline

Background: Tetracycline (TC), a commonly used antibiotic, is extensively utilized in the medical sector, leading to a significant annual discharge of tetracycline effluent into the water system, which harms both human health and the environment. Objective: A novel technique was developed to address the issues of photogenerated carrier complexation and photocatalyst immobilization. Compared to traditional photocatalytic photoelectrodes, the suspended catalyst used in the photovoltaic synergy field is more stable and increases the solidliquid contact area between the catalyst and the pollutant. Methods: This paper uses sol-gel-prepared Ag-TiO2 materials for the photoelectric synergistic fieldcatalyzed degradation of TC. The study examined how the Ag doping ratio, calcination conditions, catalyst injection, pH, electrolytes, and electrolyte injection affected photoelectric synergistic fieldcatalyzed degradation. The experiments were performed in a photocomposite field with a constant 50 mA current and a 357 nm UV lamp for 60 minutes. The composites underwent characterization using XRD, TEM, and XPS techniques. Results: Ag-TiO2 photoelectric synergistic field-catalyzed reaction with 357 nm ultraviolet lamp irradiation for 60 min and a constant current of 50 mA degraded 5 mg/LTC under preparation conditions of molar doping ratio of Ti: Ag=100:0.5, roasting temperature of 500 °C, and roasting time of 2 h. The photoelectric synergistic field-catalyzed degradation process achieved a degradation rate of 90.49% for 5 mg/L TC, surpassing the combined degradation rates of electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. The quenching experiments demonstrated that the degradation rate of TC decreased from 90.49% in the absence of a quencher to 53.23%, 42.58%, and 74.52%. The presence of •OH had a more significant impact than h+ and •O2 -. Conclusion: The findings suggest that Ag-TiO2 significantly enhanced the efficacy of photoelectric synergistic field-catalyzed degradation and can be employed to treat high-saline and lowconcentration TC. This establishes a benchmark for using photoelectrocatalytic materials based on titanium in treating organic wastewater.