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A novel and highly efficient photocatalyst of a AgBiO3/BiOCl heterojunction has been developed via a facile water bath and in situ precipitation method. The photocatalytic activities of the catalysts were investigated by the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible-light irradiation (>420 nm). The experiment results revealed that the photocatalytic performance of the optimized AgBiO3/BiOCl heterojunction was much higher than pure AgBiO3 and BiOCl. The degradation efficiency of the as-prepared AgBiO3/BiOCl heterojunction (ABC-30) for CIP could reach 88% within 160 min, with 2.89 and 3.76 times higher activity than pure AgBiO3 and BiOCl, respectively. The improved photocatalytic performance of AgBiO3/BiOCl was attributed to the synergistic effect of the enhanced light absorption range and effective separation and transfer of the photo-induced charge carrier. The optimized heterojunction showed broad-spectrum catalytic activities towards various organic contaminants. The degradation efficiencies varied with the nature of the pollutant and decreased in the following order: Lanasol Red 5B (100%) > methyl orange (99%) > methylene blue (98%) > tetracycline (92%) > ciprofloxacin (88%) > ofloxacin (85%) > norfloxacin (78%) > rhodamine B (59%) > metronidazole (43%) > phenol (40%) > carbamazepine (20%). Furthermore, the trapping experiments and ESR indicated that superoxide radicals and holes were the main reactive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition of abnormal litter caused by extreme weather events might play an increasingly important role in carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems under climate change scenarios, which needs to be fully investigated. In August 2020, the abnormal foliar litter of the goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata var. Integrifoliola), the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), and the weeping willow (Salix babylonica) after Typhoon Hagupit disturbance were collected and incubated on the soil surface at the Plant Ecology Research Base at Taizhou University, which is located on the eastern coast of China. Simultaneously, the physiological foliar litter of these three trees collected in the spring litter peak was incubated at the same site. The abnormal litter had higher concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and lower concentrations of lignin and cellulose than the physiological litter. The accumulative mass loss rates of abnormal litter in the goldenrain tree, the camphor tree, and the weeping willow during the incubation period increased by 7.72%, 29.78%, and 21.76% in comparison with physiological litter, and the corresponding carbon release increased by 9.10%, 24.15% and 19.55%, respectively. The autumn litter peak period and plum-rain season had higher rates of litter mass loss and carbon release, while the winter nongrowing season had lower rates. Accumulative mass loss, accumulative carbon release, daily mass loss and the daily carbon release of foliar litter were significantly and positively correlated with temperature and initial P concentrations, and significantly and negatively correlated with the initial C/P ratio, lignin/N ratio, and lignin/P ratio (p < 0.05). Compared with the physiological litter, abnormal litter had higher initial substrate quality, which may be the most important factor contributing to their high rates of mass loss and carbon release. The results imply that increasing tropical cyclones under climate change scenarios will facilitate carbon cycling in coastal urban forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]