Improving the catalytic effect of peroxodisulfate and peroxodiphosphate electrochemically generated at diamond electrode by activation with light irradiation

Study of the chlorfenvinphos pesticide removal under different anodic materials and different reactor configuration

The present manuscript focuses on the study of the electrochemical oxidation of the insecticide Chlorfenvinphos (CVP). The assays were carried out under galvanostatic conditions using boron-doped diamond (BDD) and low-cost tin dioxide doped with antimony (Sb-doped SnO₂) as anodes. The influence of the operating variables, such as applied current density, presence or absence of a cation-exchange membrane and concentration of supporting electrolyte, was discussed. The results revealed that the higher applied current density the higher degradation and mineralization of the insecticide for both anodes. The presence of the membrane and the highest concentration of Na₂SO₄ studied (0.1 M) as a supporting electrolyte benefited the oxidation process of CVP using the BDD electrode, while with the ceramic anode the elimination of CVP was lower under these experimental conditions. Although the BDD electrode showed the best performance, ceramic anodes appear as an interesting alternative as they were able to degrade CVP completely for the highest applied current density values. Toxicity tests revealed that the initial solution of CVP was more toxic than the samples treated with the ceramic electrode, while using the BDD electrode the toxicity of the sample increased.

Using Fe-Cu/HGF composite cathodes for the degradation of Diuron by electro-activated peroxydisulfate

An iron-copper graphite felt (Fe-Cu/HGF) electrode was successfully prepared by heat treatment and impregnation of graphite felt as the support followed by calcination, and an electro-activated peroxydisulfate (E-PDS) system with Fe-Cu/HGF as the cathode was constructed to degrade Diuron. This system synergistically activated PDS through electrochemical processes and transition metal catalysis. High-valence metal ions could be converted into low-valence metal ions by reduction at the cathode, and low-valence metal ions continuously activated PDS to generate more sulfate radicals (SO₄^-) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) to accelerate Diuron degradation. The Fe-Cu/HGF composite cathode exhibited a performance superior to graphite felt (RGF) obtained using pretreatment only, including increased hydrophilicity, significantly increased number of defect sites and larger electroactive surface area. Under optimized experimental degradation conditions, Diuron could be completely removed in 35 min, at which time copper ion leaching was not detected in the solution, while the total iron ion concentration was 0.27 mg L^-1. Extending the reaction time to 6 h, the amount of total organic carbon was reduced to 32.2%. In addition, the free radicals that degraded Diuron were identified as mainly SO₄^- and OH with a slightly higher contribution of SO₄^-. The mechanism and pathways of Diuron degradation in the E-PDS system were determined. The E-PDS system was successfully applied to the degradation of other pollutants and the degradation of Diuron in different simulated water environments. In summary, the E-PDS system using Fe-Cu/HGF as the cathode is a promising treatment method for Diuron-containing wastewater.

Improving the Treatment Efficiency and Lowering the Operating Costs of Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Processes

Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOP®) are promising technologies for the decentralized treatment of water and will be important elements in achieving a circular economy. To overcome the drawback of the high operational expenses of EAOP® systems, two novel reactors based on a next-generation boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a stainless steel cathode or a hydrogen-peroxide-generating gas diffusion electrode (GDE) are presented. This reactor design ensures the long-term stability of BDD anodes. The application potential of the novel reactors is evaluated with artificial wastewater containing phenol (COD of 2000 mg L−1); the reactors are compared to each other and to ozone and peroxone systems. The investigations show that the BDD anode can be optimized for a service life of up to 18 years, reducing the costs for EAOP® significantly. The process comparison shows a degradation efficiency for the BDD–GDE system of up to 135% in comparison to the BDD–stainless steel electrode combination, showing only 75%, 14%, and 8% of the energy consumption of the BDD–stainless steel, ozonation, and peroxonation systems, respectively. Treatment efficiencies of nearly 100% are achieved with both novel electrolysis reactors. Due to the current density adaptation and the GDE integration, which result in energy savings as well as the improvements that significantly extend the lifetime of the BDD electrode, less resources and raw materials are consumed for the power generation and electrode manufacturing processes.

Generation of active Co(III) and peroxodiphosphate by synergistic electrocatalytic system with phosphate and the mediator cobalt(II) and its degradation performance

The promising synergistic electrocatalytic system of phosphate (PO₄^3-) with the mediator cobalt(II) (for short E-Co(II)-PO₄^3-) was employed to degrade cationic dye methylene blue (MB). The exploration in the electrocatalytic process revealed that the main intermediate active oxidation products were Co(III), accompanied with hydroxyl radicals and peroxodiphosphates (P₂O₈^4-). Their synergistic electrocatalytic degradation rate to MB and total organic carbon (TOC) was up to 100 and 60% in 40 min, respectively, which was 5 times and 2.6 times that in a direct electrocatalytic system, correspondingly. The degradation process of the E-Co(II)-PO₄^3- system on MB started with the bond being broken at the N-C junction of the MB molecule and intermediate active oxidation substances being generated, such as phenothiazine, 2-amino-5-(N-methylformamide) benzene sulfonic acid and N₁,N₁-dimethyl-1,4 diaminobenzene. Then, the intermediates were degraded into aniline, phenol and benzene sulfonic acid, and eventually decomposed into inorganic substances like CO₂ and water. The electrocatalytic degradation mechanism of E-Co(II)-PO₄^3- system on MB was the combination of indirect oxidation of the intermediate oxidants like Co(III), P₂O₈^4- and the hydroxyl radical with direct electrocatalysis on the platinum titanium electrode, where the electrocatalytic oxidation of Co(III) was dominant.

Assessing the performance of electrochemical oxidation using DSA® and BDD anodes in the presence of UVC light

Significance of surface and ground water contamination by synthetic organic compounds has been pointed out in a very high number of papers worldwide, as well as the need of application of treatment technologies capable to assure their complete removal. Among these processes, the electrochemical advanced oxidation is an interesting option, especially when irradiated with UVC light (photo-electrochemical, P-EC) to promote homolysis of electrogenerated oxidants. In this work, the herbicide glyphosate (GLP) was used as model compound and it was electrochemically treated under UVC irradiation in the presence of NaCl and using a DSA® and BDD anodes. Total organic carbon concentration was measured throughout the electrolysis, as well as the concentration of short chain carboxylic acids and inorganic ions (NO3-, PO43-,ClO-, ClO3- and ClO4-). The synergism of the P-EC was more pronounced when using a DSA® electrode, which led to complete GLP mineralization in 1 h (0.52 A h L-1), as also confirmed by the stoichiometric formation of NO3- and PO43- ions, with an energy consumption as low as 1.25 kW h g-1. Unexpectedly, the concentration evolution of oxyhalides for the P-EC process using both anodes, especially for DSA® at 10 mA cm-2, showed the production of ClO3-, whereas detection of ClO4- species was only found when using BDD at 100 mA cm-2 for the electrochemical process. Finally, small amounts of carboxylic acids were detected, including dichloroacetic acid, especially when using a BDD electrode.

Cathodic hydrogen production by simultaneous oxidation of methyl red and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate in aqueous solutions using PbO2, Sb-doped SnO2 and Si/BDD anodes. Part 2: hydrogen production

In this work, results concerning hydrogen gas production during the oxidation of methyl red (MR) and sodium 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4-DNa), is presented, emphasizing not only the amount of hydrogen gas that was produced but also the kinetic and efficiency parameters involved in this process. For this purpose, a two-compartment electrochemical cell was used with a Nafion® membrane as separator in order to collect H₂ without other chemical species (only with traces of water vapor). Under these experimental conditions, it was possible to guarantee the purity of the H₂ collected. The electrochemical oxidation of MR and 2,4-DNa solutions was carried out by applying 30 mA cm⁻² at 298 K, using different non-active anodes (Si/BDD, Pb/PbO₂, or Sb-doped SnO₂) and different cathodes (Pt mesh, 316-type stainless-steel, or Pt–10%Rh) in order to investigate the effect of the electrocatalytic materials and experimental conditions. Thus, the H₂ produced was measured as a function of the electrolysis time and compared with the values estimated by Faraday's law. The results showed that the hydrogen production rate r(H₂) is independent of the nature of the anodic material, although an important effect on the oxygen production was observed on the BDD anode by using sulfuric acid as supporting electrolyte. The effect was discussed through the formation of sulphate-oxidizing species (SO₄⁻˙ and S₂O₈²⁻) which interfere in the oxygen production step on BDD anodes. The use of different cathodes showed small changes in the hydrogen production rate r(H₂), which were basically associated with the differences in hydrogen adsorption energy prior to its evolution. The results were discussed in light of the existing literature.

Efficient production of H₂ from the electrochemical oxidation of organic compounds with non-active anodes in a divided cell.

Electrochemical Oxidation of Sulfonamides with Boron-Doped Diamond and Pt Anodes

Electrochemical oxidation processes usually favored specific degradation pathways depending on anode materials. In this work, a series of sulfonamides (SNs) were degraded by electrochemical oxidation. Compared to Pt anodes (0.1567–0.1795 h⁻¹), degradation rates of SNs were much higher at boron‐doped diamond (BDD) anodes (2.4290–13.1950 h⁻¹). However, the same intermediates were detected in the two anode systems. Due to the strong oxidizing ability of BDD anodes, a large amount of intermediates with high toxicities were initially generated and then finally reduced in the BDD anode systems, while the amount of intermediates continuously increased in the Pt anode systems. Additionally, SNs were degraded faster in Na₂SO₄ than NaH₂PO₄ electrolytes at BDD anodes, while they were similar at Pt anodes. This study demonstrated that the degradation pathways of SNs at BDD and Pt anodes were similar, but the evolutions of intermediate amounts and toxicities were different due to their varied oxidizing abilities.