Construction of a novel efficient Z-scheme BiVO4/EAQ heterojunction for the photocatalytic inactivation of antibiotic-resistant pathogens: Performance and mechanism

• A novel Z-scheme BiVO 4 /EAQ was prepared for Shigella flexneri HL disinfection. • A Z-scheme heterojunction mechanism for 60%-BiVO 4 /EAQ was deduced. • 60%-BiVO 4 /EAQ completely inactivated Shigella flexneri HL within 150 min. • O 2 − and h + played the major roles in the photocatalytic system, followed by •OH. • An ARG decomposition mechanism was complemented by visualization with the aid of AFM. To improve the bactericidal capability of the BiVO 4 photocatalyst, a novel Z-scheme bismuth vanadate/2-ethylanthraquinone (BiVO 4 /EAQ) photocatalyst was constructed to inactivate antibiotic-resistant pathogens and degrade antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in aqueous environments. The introduction of EAQ into BiVO 4 enhanced the photocatalytic performance by promoting charge generation and inhibiting electron-hole pair recombination. Based on the results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and fluorescent probe quantitative analyses, 60%-BiVO 4 /EAQ was confirmed to be a Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst. The 60%-BiVO 4 /EAQ composite exhibited the highest inactivation efficiency toward Shigella flexneri HL , with complete inactivation within 150 min. Scavenger experiments and radical concentration quantification assays indicated that •O 2 − and h + performed the major roles during photocatalytic inactivation, followed by •OH. Moreover, the extracellular tetA resistance gene was almost completely degraded after a 6-hour photocatalysis reaction. The fragmentation pathway of circular DNA under photocatalysis reaction was observed with the aid of atomic force microscopy (AFM), which might also be the mechanism of ARG decomposition. Furthermore, BiVO 4 /EAQ composite performed good photocatalytic inactivation performance in actual water matrices. This work provides an efficient biohazard inactivation method.