Khar-Lok Lim0000-0002-1177-5894Jin Chung Sin0000-0001-5118-8144Sze Mun LamHonghu ZengHaixiang LiJianqiang ZhangZhenxia Zhao2026-10-222026-10-222026-1010.1016/j.apsusc.2026.167244https://dspace-cris.utar.edu.my/handle/123456789/11829Amid the unprecedented expansion of aquaculture industry, the release of antibiotics, dyes, phenols and pathogens escalated into critical ecological and public health issues. In this work, bifunctional heterojunction composites were constructed by decorating zero-dimensional (0D) Bi2WO6 nanoparticles (STBW) and one-dimensional (1D) AgIO4 microrods (STOA) onto three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical SrTiO3 microflowers via a solvothermal route. Structural, optical and electrochemical analyses demonstrated that coherent heterointerfaces induced interfacial band-bending and built-in fields, thereby enabling accelerated charge transport and suppressing their recombination. Both STBW20 and STOA10 enhanced photoactivity under simulated solar light, with STBW20 achieving 90.5% cefixime degradation under optimal conditions. The composites exhibited superior tolerance to variation in pH as well as to the presence of inorganic anions, humic acid and complex water matrices, while also demonstrated versatility against aquaculture pollutants like phenol and malachite green. Detoxification of degraded intermediates was confirmed, while antibacterial assays against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus along with phytotoxicity tests validated the environmental safety of treated effluents. Mechanistic elucidation via energy band evaluation, charge carrier dynamics measurements and scavenger tests confirmed a direct Z–scheme charge transfer underpinning redox efficacy. Collectively, this comparative evaluation affirmed the promise of SrTiO3–based heterojunctions as versatile and effective photocatalysts for aquaculture wastewater remediation. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.en-USAntibacterialBi2WO6PhotodegradationSrTiO3Z-schemeAgIO4AquacultureBiodegradationBismuth compoundsCarrier transportCharge transferEffluentsEscherichia coliHeterojunctionsPhotocatalystsRemediationStaphylococcus aureusStrontium titanatesTitanium compoundsTungsten compoundsWater pollutionWater treatmentAntibacterialsAquaculture industryBacterial inactivationBi-functionalContaminant degradationPhoto degradationPhoto-catalyticPublic health issuesSrTiO 3text::journal::journal article