Cu2MoS4-based magnetic composites as effective adsorbent and photocatalyst for removal of organic contaminants in water

Abstract The wastewater containing pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) could not be removed effectively by traditional sewage treatment technologies and was directly discharged into the natural environment, causing serious threats to environment and human health. In this study, polypyrrole-functionalized Cu2MoS4 magnetic composites (Cu2MoS4-Fe3O4@PPy) were prepared and applied as an adsorbent for the removal of PPCPs from aqueous solution. Cu2MoS4-Fe3O4@PPy exhibited synergistic effects and showed excellent adsorption performances for indomethacin (IDM) and ketoprofen (KET) with removal efficiencies of 97.1% and 88.6% at initial pollutant concentration of 10 mg/L, respectively. It was also found that IDM and KET could be effectively removed by Cu2MoS4-Fe3O4@PPy in a wider pH range (5.0-11.0). Cu2MoS4-Fe3O4@PPy could be separated easily with a magnet and possessed the removal efficiency up to 83% even after eight adsorption-desorption cycles. Furthermore, the potential applications of Cu2MoS4-Fe3O4@PPy as a photocatalyst after the deposition of silver nanoparticles were further explored. Under visible-light irradiation, the Cu2MoS4-Fe3O4@PPy-Ag could quickly degrade malachite green (MG) with 94.8% removal within 60 min and had higher selectivity for MG in dual and ternary dye solutions. Due to excellent performances in adsorption and photocatalysis, Cu2MoS4-based magnetic composites had great potential application in the treatment of wastewater containing organic pollutants.