Sorghum grain as a bio-template: emerging, cost-effective, and metal-free synthesis of C-doped g-C3N4 for photo-degradation of antibiotic, bisphenol A (BPA), and phenol under solar light irradiation

Maryam Shirvani; Tianjian Zhang; Yanlong Gu; Mona Hosseini-Sarvari

doi:10.1007/s11356-024-35868-1

Sorghum grain as a bio-template: emerging, cost-effective, and metal-free synthesis of C-doped g-C₃N₄ for photo-degradation of antibiotic, bisphenol A (BPA), and phenol under solar light irradiation

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025 Jan 4. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-35868-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Maryam Shirvani¹, Tianjian Zhang², Yanlong Gu², Mona Hosseini-Sarvari³

Affiliations

¹ Nano Photocatalysis Lab., Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 7194684795, I.R. of Iran.
² Institute of Physical Chemistry and Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Luoyu Road 1037#, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430074, P.R. China.
³ Nano Photocatalysis Lab., Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, 7194684795, I.R. of Iran. hossaini@shirazu.ac.ir.

PMID: 39754624
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35868-1

Abstract

Due to the industry's rapid growth, the presence of organic pollutants, especially antibiotics, in water and wastewater resources is the main concern for wildlife and human health. Therefore, these days, a significant challenge is developing an efficient, sustainable, and eco-friendly photocatalyst. Natural biological models have numerous advantages compared to artificial model materials. Biological models with unique multi-level structures and morphology can be used to create porous bio-templates to produce hierarchical materials. So, in this work, for the first time, this was achieved by using sorghum grain seeds as a bio-template (natural waste material) and urea as a precursor, through a simple and environmentally friendly method. We believed that natural waste materials with high carbon atom content could be used as both a carbon doping agent and a bio-template, thus improving the physical and optical properties of the resulting materials. In comparison to previous studies on the synthesis of C-doped g-C₃N₄, our work offers a greener and more cost-effective approach to synthesis, while also reducing waste material. We succeeded in the photo-degradation of a series of organic pollutants such as phenol, bisphenol A (BPA), and amoxicillin (AMX) in an aqueous solution under solar light illumination.

Keywords: 3D micro; C3N4, Organic pollutants, Solar light; Doped g; Templated porous (BTP)C; Tubular bio.