Preparation of Soybean Dreg-Based Biochar@TiO Composites and the Photocatalytic Degradation of Aflatoxin B Exposed to Simulated Sunlight Irradiation.

Aflatoxin B (AFB) is a highly toxic carcinogen severely harmful to humans and animals. This study fabricated SDB-6-K-9@TiO composites via the hydrothermal synthesis method to reduce AFB. The structural characterization results of the photocatalytic composites showed that TiO was successfully loaded onto SDB-6-K-9. The different photocatalytic degradation conditions, photocatalyst kinetics, recycling performance, and photocatalytic degradation mechanism were investigated. Photocatalysis with 6 mg of 4%SDB-6-K-9@TiO in a 100 μg/mL AFB solution presented a reduction of over 95%, exhibiting excellent performance, high stability, and reusability even after five cycles of photocatalytic experiments. Active species trapping experiments confirmed that holes (h) played the most critical role. After structural analysis and identification of the photocatalytic degradation products, the photodegradation path and photocatalytic oxidation mechanism of 4%SDB-6-K-9@TiO were postulated. The results show a new way to improve TiO's photocatalytic performance, providing a certain theoretical basis for the effective AFB reduction.