Sustainable 2D Bi₂WO₆/g-C₃N₅ heterostructure as visible light-triggered abatement of colorless endocrine disruptors in wastewater

Colorless endocrine disruptors (EDs) are generally known as interference chemicals with the hormonal system. Widespread usage of such pollutants in daily life leads to the hike in the level of EDs in water resources as well as drinking water resulting in various health issues upon ingestion unknowingly. Thus, it is a challenging issue to efficiently degrade colorless EDs under visible light in spite the report of several photocatalysts. Herein, we fabricated a composite comprising metal-free graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₅) with Bi₂WO₆ that exhibits visible light-induced efficient degradation of colorless EDs. A simple hydrothermal polymerization method was adopted to prepare nanosheets of g-C₃N₅ loaded with Bi₂WO₆ nanoplates and the resulting heterostructure efficiently degrade tetracycline, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and chlorpyrifos under cheap visible light irradiation in a short period of time. The synergistic effect of g-C₃N₅ and Bi₂WO₆ components in the composite leads to efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers via Z-scheme pathway and resulting in remarkable photocatalytic activity compared to individuals.