Photocatalytic activation of peracetic acid by metal–free C2N3 for efficient water purification under visible light: High–efficiency bifurcated electron transport

Photocatalytic activation of environmental-friendly and lowcost peracetic acid (PAA) is a “green” strategy for wastewater treatment. Herein, C 2 N 3 , an allotrope of g-C 3 N 4 , was prepared for the first time via a simple calcination. The C 2 N 3 /PAA/Vis system was used to degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and inactivate E. coli . The SMX was completed removed within 70 min, and its degradation rate constant was 10 times that of g-C 3 N 4 /PAA/Vis system. The system showed excellent degradation performance under wastewater simulation experiments. Electrochemical and EPR experiments verified that C 2 N 3 acted as an electron donor under visible light, and its electrons were transferred to O 2 to produce O 2 – . PAA acted as another electron acceptor and accepted electrons to generate 1 O 2 via non-radical pathways. This work reveals that high–efficiency bifurcated electron transport processes enhanced the degradation of contaminants and provides a superior metal–free catalyst/matrix-material for further doping to improve the performance in other applications.