Photocatalytic degradation of bis(2-chloroethoxy)methane by a visible light-driven BiVO4 photocatalyst

• BiVO4 photocatalyst was prepared and characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and DRS.
• BiVO4 was applied for photocatalytic degradation of haloether for the first time.
• The photodegradation of bis(2-chloroethoxy)methane followed the first-order kinetics.
• BiVO4 dosage, solution pH, and anions were found to influence the degradation rate.
• HO radicals were detected in the vis/BiVO4/H2O2 system by the fluorescence technique.

Haloethers are widely used in industrial applications, and the release of these toxic and carcinogenic species into the environment is a cause for great concern. In this study, BiVO4 powder is prepared and used as a visible-light catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of bis(2-chloroethoxy)methane (BCEXM). The as-prepared BiVO4 photocatalyst is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and BET surface area analysis. The proposed vis/BiVO4/H2O2 system is found to successfully degrade BCEXM up to 96.8% in 20 h under optimal operating parameters. The photodegradation of BCEXM follows the first-order kinetics and parameters, such as system pH, catalyst dosage, substrate concentration, and the presence of anions are found to influence the degradation rate. To scrutinize the mechanistic details of BCEXM photodegradation, the intermediates of the process are separated, identified, and characterized by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The probable photodegradation pathways are proposed and discussed.