Self-accelerating Photocatalytic Reaction for Removal of Heavy Metal Cr

School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, 123000, China

^* Corresponding author: 3257993611@qq.com

Abstract

Photocatalyst-loaded hydrogels show great potential for effective degradation of pollutants. In this work, a novel composite photocatalyst preparation method is proposed to prepare a gel composite photocatalyst using hydrothermal reaction and in situ synthesis method for rapid degradation and removal of heavy metal Cr present in water bodies. Sodium alginate was chosen as the hydrogel carrier of photocatalytic material to improve the homogeneity and stability of the composite photocatalyst. The H₂O₂ generated from the hydrolysis of aluminum chloride during the reaction process can accelerate the photoreaction, so this experiment has high efficiency of autocatalysis. The experimental results showed that the degradation and removal of heavy metal Cr could reach 75% under the conditions of dosage of 0.08 g, pH 4, temperature 35 °C, initial concentration of 40 mg/L, and light intensity of 15 W. This work provides a low-cost and convenient method for constructing novel hydrogel carriers with high photocatalytic stability and efficiency.