Preparation of ZnTiO3/TiO2/PVDF photocatalytic membrane for the treatment of butyl potassium xanthate

With the booming development of mining industry, the massive use of xanthate (yellow drug) has led to the residual xanthate in tailings wastewater, and its toxicity has caused extremely bad impact on the environment. In order to further investigate the materials used for photocatalytic treatment of xanthate wastewater, in this study, ZnTiO 3 /TiO 2 photocatalysts with good catalytic activity were prepared by using the sol-gel method with potash butyl xanthate (PBX) as the target pollutant, and ZnTiO 3 /TiO 2 /PVDF photocatalyst membranes were combined with poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes by the doping method. The prepared photocatalysts and photocatalytic membranes were characterized and analyzed by different analytical methods. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization results showed that the ZnTiO 3 /TiO 2 photocatalysts showed an increased surface roughness, an increased specific surface area and a mixed crystalline phase morphology containing anatase and rutile phases. The absorption edge of the composite photocatalyst was extended to 410 nm, and the optical response was extended to the visible region. The doping of the photocatalysts did not change the structure of the PVDF membranes, but the doping amount affected the hydrophilicity of the doped membranes. The photocatalytic membrane maintained a good treatment effect under different environmental conditions by unidirectional testing. The photocatalytic membrane maintained a good degradation rate after three reuses. • Construction of ZnTiO 3 /TiO 2 type II heterojunction. • Preparation of ZnTiO 3 /TiO 2 /PVDF photocatalytic membranes using the phase transition method. • Efficient and environmentally friendly treatment of potassium butyl xanthate. • Possible degradation mechanisms for potassium butyl xanthate are proposed. • Successful preparation of photocatalytic membrane solves the problem of photocatalyst recycling and improves the membrane's anti-pollution performance.