Arsenic and copper causing water pollution is a worldwide problem, and simultaneously achieving water decontamination from arsenic and copper is immensely attractive. In this study, an economical and eco-friendly light-enhanced removal system was proposed to simultaneously alleviate water contamination from arsenic and copper, where nascent copper hydroxides (CHO) acted as nano-absorbers and electron acceptors for As(III) removal. According to the mechanism studies, the nascent CHO effectively capture As(III) forming surface Cu(II)–As(III) complex (formation constant, log K_f1 = 6.0). Then, light induced the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) from As(III) to Cu(II) inside the Cu(II)–As(III) complex, thus leading to both As(III) oxidation and Cu(II) reduction under anoxic conditions. The quantum yield of As(III) photooxidation at 365 nm was ascertained as (2.3 ± 0.2) × 10⁻². The final photoproducts can be easily recycled as stabilized Cu(II)–As(V) complex and deposit. Real sunlight-driven photooxidation of As(III) in the presence of CHO and As(III) photooxidation to As(V) in solid Cu(II)–As(III) complex were also confirmed, which implying the promising application in practical water treatment. Accordingly, the oxygen-independent and light-enhanced removal of arsenic and copper can help develop recovery strategies for copper and arsenic.

造成水污染的砷和铜是一个世界性的问题，同时实现砷和铜对水的净化非常有吸引力。在这项研究中，提出了一种经济，环保的光增强去除系统，旨在同时减轻砷和铜中的水污染，其中新生的氢氧化铜（CHO）用作纳米吸收剂和电子受体，用于去除As（III）。根据机理研究，新生的CHO有效捕获形成表面Cu（II）-As（III）配合物的As（III）（形成常数，log K _f1 = 6.0）。然后，光诱导了Cu（II）-As（III）配合物内部从As（III）到Cu（II）的配体到金属的电荷转移（LMCT），从而导致As（III）氧化和Cu（ II）在缺氧条件下的还原。确定在365nm下As（III）光氧化的量子产率为（2.3±0.2）×10 ^-2。最终的光产物可以很容易地作为稳定的Cu（II）-As（V）络合物和沉积物回收。还证实了在CHO的存在下真实的阳光驱动下的As（III）的光氧化和As（III）在固态Cu（II）-As（III）配合物中的光氧化为As（V），这暗示了在实际水中的应用前景广阔治疗。因此，砷和铜的非氧依赖性和光增强去除可以帮助开发铜和砷的回收策略。