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Enhanced degradation of polyethylene terephthalate plastics by CdS/CeO2 heterojunction photocatalyst activated peroxymonosulfate
Summary
Scientists developed a photocatalytic system using cadmium sulfide and cerium oxide that can break down PET plastic waste with remarkable efficiency, achieving over 93% weight loss. The process works by activating a chemical oxidant under light, generating reactive species that decompose the plastic. This research points toward a potentially scalable method for recycling one of the most common plastic types found in bottles and packaging.
Waste plastics have posed enormous to the environment, but their recycling, especially polyethylene terephthalate plastics, was still a huge challenge. Here, CdS/CeO was used as the photocatalyst to promote the degradation of PET-12 plastics by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) synergistic photocatalytic system. The results showed that 10 % CdS/CeO had the best performance under the illumination condition, and the weight loss rate of PET-12 could reach 93.92 % after adding 3 mM PMS. The effects of important parameters (PMS dose and co-existing anions) on PET-12 degradation were systematically studied, and the excellent performance of the photocatalytic-activated PMS system was verified by comparison experiments. SO contributed the most to the degradation performance of PET-12 plastics, which was demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and free radical quenching experiments. Furthermore, the results of GC showed that the gas products including CO, and CH. This indicated that the mineralized products could be further reduced to hydrocarbon fuel under the action of the photocatalyst. This job supplied a new idea for the photocatalytic treatment of waste microplastics in the water, which will help recycle waste plastics and recycle carbon resources.