Abstract
The release of crude oil and water-soluble dyes into our marine environment is a major global problem. An efficient semiconductor Ag-Ag3PO4 photocatalyst was synthesized using formaldehyde as a reducing agent to form surface active Ag on Ag3PO4 under microwave radiation for heating, and its potential in destroying environmental pollutants has been examined. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of Ag-Ag3PO4 revealed an enhanced absorption in the visible light region. The rate of photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by Ag-Ag3PO4 was over 4-fold compared to Ag3PO4 . The potential application of Ag-Ag3PO4 in oil spill remediation was also examined through photocatalytic degradation of benzene, n-hexane, and 1:1 v/v benzene/methanol crude oil-soluble fractions. UV-vis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the crude oil components after visible light irradiation showed excellent degradation. The photocatalytic efficiency enhancement of Ag-Ag3PO4 is attributed to the excellent electron trapping of silver nanoparticles deposited on the surface of Ag3PO4 . This work will motivate future studies to develop recyclable visible light photocatalysts for many applications.