Development of Iron/Potassium Co-Doped Carbon Nitride (Fe/K-G-C3N4) for Photo-Fenton Mediated Remediation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. John Thurston, College of Idaho
Presentation Date
7-15-2026
Abstract
Numerous cosmetic, pharmaceutical and agricultural agents are now classified as “contaminants of emerging concern” as a result of a combination of their increasing presence urban and natural water systems and the inability of existing wastewater purification technologies to efficiently remediate these compounds. Carbon nitride (C_₃N_₄) is an intermediate band gap, organic semiconductor whose chemical properties can be readily tuned through facile incorporation of a variety of main group and transition metal dopants. As part of this study, we assessed the ability of iron/potassium co-doped carbon nitride (Fe/K- C_₃N_₄) to promote production of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide via photo-Fenton reactions. Additionally, we further validated the utility of the Fe/K- C_₃N_₄ photo-Fenton system for environmental remediation applications by successfully deactivating samples of the persistent contaminants sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and atrazine (ATZ). Notably, inclusion of the iron dopant in the carbon nitride matrix plays a significant role in directing the decomposition reaction pathway. The results of this study may serve to further inform strategies to tailor the structure and composition of organic semiconductors for environmental remediation applications.
Development of Iron/Potassium Co-Doped Carbon Nitride (Fe/K-G-C3N4) for Photo-Fenton Mediated Remediation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Numerous cosmetic, pharmaceutical and agricultural agents are now classified as “contaminants of emerging concern” as a result of a combination of their increasing presence urban and natural water systems and the inability of existing wastewater purification technologies to efficiently remediate these compounds. Carbon nitride (C_₃N_₄) is an intermediate band gap, organic semiconductor whose chemical properties can be readily tuned through facile incorporation of a variety of main group and transition metal dopants. As part of this study, we assessed the ability of iron/potassium co-doped carbon nitride (Fe/K- C_₃N_₄) to promote production of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide via photo-Fenton reactions. Additionally, we further validated the utility of the Fe/K- C_₃N_₄ photo-Fenton system for environmental remediation applications by successfully deactivating samples of the persistent contaminants sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and atrazine (ATZ). Notably, inclusion of the iron dopant in the carbon nitride matrix plays a significant role in directing the decomposition reaction pathway. The results of this study may serve to further inform strategies to tailor the structure and composition of organic semiconductors for environmental remediation applications.