Hydrogen Evolution from Water Coupled with the Oxidation of As(III) in a Photocatalytic System

A series of heterostructured CdS/Sr2(Nb17/18Zn1/18)2O7-δ composites with excellent photocatalytic ability for simultaneous hydrogen evolution and As(III) oxidation under simulated sunlight were synthesized and characterized. Among them, 30% CdS/Sr2(Nb17/18Zn1/18)2O7-δ (30CSNZO) has the highest in activity, exhibiting a H2 production rate of 1669.1 μmol·h(-1)·g(-1) that is higher than that of many photocatalysts recently reported in the literature. At pH 9, As(III) is completely oxidized to As(V) over 30CSNZO in 30 min of irradiation of simulated sunlight. In the photocatalytic system, H2 production rate decreases with the increase of As(III) concentration, and the recycle experiments show that 30CSNZO exhibits excellent stability, durability, and recyclability for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and As(III) oxidation. We propose a mechanism in which superoxide radical (·O2(-)) is the active species for As(III) oxidation and the oxidation of As(III) has an effect on hydrogen evolution. For the first time, it is demonstrated that simultaneous hydrogen evolution and arsenite oxidation is possible in a photocatalytic system.