Photocatalytic reduction of carbon tetrachloride by natural sphalerite under visible light irradiation

The photoreductive degradation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) in natural sphalerite ((Zn, Fe)S mineral) suspensions irradiated by visible light (VL) is studied in this paper. 92% of CT is degraded in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) organic solvent system after 8 h of VL irradiation. The effects of light source, sphalerite dosage, electron donors, dissolved oxygen and CT initial concentration on CT photocatalytic degradation efficiency are discussed. The degradation products are analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and the photocatalytic degradation mechanism is then proposed.