Efficient microwave-assisted photocatalytic degradation of endocrine disruptor dimethyl phthalate ov

A highly active ZrOx/ZnO catalyst for microwave-assisted photocatalytic (MW/PC) degradation of endocrine disruptor dimethyl phthalate (DMP) has been prepared via cetyltrimethylammonium assisted hydrothermal method.The ZrO,/ZnO was characterized by XPS,XRD,UV Vs,BET and SEM techniques.The XPS result showed that Zr oxides with different valences (+2,+3,+4) coexisted in ZrO,jZnO.By using the ZrOx/Zno (0.1g),the TOC removal efficiency of DMP (100 mL of 50 mg/L) was 88% after 30 min reaction,which was about 15% higher than P25 Ti02.It was found that the removal process of DMP by MW/PC followed pseudo firstorder kinetics in all cases,and ZrOx/ZnO significantly accelerated the degradation of DMP The degradation half-life time of DMP was shortened 45% compared with P25 Ti02.A possible catalytic mechanism was proposed based on microwave response and interfacial charge transfer.ZrOx/ZnO could be reused for six times without obvious decrease in catalytic activity.The study offers new insights into designing highly efficient catalysts for MW/PC process and is applicable for MW/PC environmental remediation.