The Pd-catalyzed hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols in aqueous solutions under mild conditions: a promising approach to practical use in wastewater

Hydrodechlorination of Aryl Chlorides Under Biocompatible Conditions

Developing nonenzymatic chemistry that is nontoxic to microbial organisms creates the potential to integrate synthetic chemistry with metabolism and offers new remediation strategies. Chlorinated organic compounds known to bioaccumulate and cause harmful environmental impact can be converted into less damaging derivatives through hydrodehalogenation. The hydrodechlorination of substituted aryl chlorides using Pd/C and ammonium formate in biological media under physiological conditions (neutral pH, moderate temperature, and ambient pressure) is reported. The reaction conditions were successful for a range of aryl chlorides with electron-donating and -withdrawing groups, limited by the solubility of substrates in aqueous media. Soluble substrates gave good yields (60-98%) of the reduction product within 48 h. The relative toxicities of each reaction component were tested separately and together against bacteria, and the reaction proceeded in bacterial cultures containing an aryl chloride with robust cell growth. This work offers an initial step toward the removal of aryl chlorides from waste streams that currently use bacterial degradation to remove pollutants.

One-step elimination of Cr(VI) by catalytic hydrogenation of Cr(VI) and simultaneous Cr(OH)3 recovery on Pt catalysts encapsulated in N-doped mesoporous carbon

Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) is a highly toxic heavy metal, which is commonly eliminated by stepwise reduction at acidic pH and precipitation of Cr(OH)₃ at alkaline pH. A unique Pt catalyst with Pt particles embedded in the framework of N-doped mesoporous carbon CMK-3 (denoted as Pt@NCMK-3) was designed and fabricated to one-step eliminate Cr(VI) pollution at near neutral pH via simultaneous Cr(VI) reduction by catalytic hydrogenation and Cr(OH)₃ recovery. Structural characterization showed that Pt particles of Pt@NCMK-3 were effectively embedded in the carbon rods of NCMK-3. Batch experiments revealed that Pt@NCMK-3 exhibited a higher catalytic activity and stability than other test catalysts. Fixed-bed column reaction results indicated that under the experimental conditions Pt@NCMK-3 had better breakthrough performances than other catalysts. Additionally, after 4 treatment-recovery cycles Pt@NCMK-3 maintained nearly identical breakthrough performance, whereas other catalysts displayed markedly decreased breakthrough bed volumes, reflecting a substantially higher stability of Pt@NCMK-3.

Oxygenated functional group-driven spontaneous fabrication of Pd nanoparticles decorated porous carbon nanosheets for electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol

Researchers have been committed to reducing the hazardous pollutants by developing efficient catalysts while ignoring the pollution caused by the use of toxic surface capping agents, reductants and/or organic solvents in the catalyst preparation process. To alleviate such problems, we here report a novel one-step oxygenated functional group-driven electroless deposition strategy to synthesize clean and uniformly distributed Pd nanoparticles (NPs) using porous carbon nanosheets (PCN) as both substrates and reducing agents. It is observed that the oxygenated functional groups enriched PCN possesses a low work function and allows the spontaneous reduction of PdCl₄^2- ions to Pd NPs deposited on the PCN support (Pd/PCN). The particle size of Pd NPs can be flexibly modulated by simply controlling the immersing time and thereby their maximum catalytic performances can be achieved. Specifically, the optimal Pd/PCN-08 with a Pd loading of 3.0 wt% shows an excellent activity with a turnover frequency of 0.38 min^-1 for electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (ECH) of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), superior to the previously reported materials. The stability of Pd/PCN-08 for 4-CP ECH is impressive in repetitive cycles. This work proposes a facile and efficient strategy to synthesize high-performance catalysts for detoxifying the hazardous organic pollutants.

Hydrodechlorination of 4-Chlorophenol on Pd-Fe Catalysts on Mesoporous ZrO2SiO2 Support

A mesoporous support based on silica and zirconia (ZS) was used to prepare monometallic 1 wt% Pd/ZS, 10 wt% Fe/ZS, and bimetallic FePd/ZS catalysts. The catalysts were characterized by TPR-H₂, XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM, AAS, and DRIFT spectroscopy of adsorbed CO after H₂ reduction in situ and tested in hydrodechlorination of environmental pollutant 4-chlorophelol in aqueous solution at 30 °C. The bimetallic catalyst demonstrated an excellent activity, selectivity to phenol and stability in 10 consecutive runs. FePd/ZS has exceptional reducibility due to the high dispersion of palladium and strong interaction between FeOx and palladium, confirmed by TPR-H₂, DRIFT spectroscopy, XRD, and TEM. Its reduction occurs during short-time treatment with hydrogen in an aqueous solution at RT. The Pd/ZS was more resistant to reduction but can be activated by aqueous phenol solution and H₂. The study by DRIFT spectroscopy of CO adsorbed on Pd/ZS reduced in harsh (H₂, 330 °C), medium (H₂, 200 °C) and mild conditions (H₂ + aqueous solution of phenol) helped to identify the reasons of the reducing action of phenol solution. It was found that phenol provided fast transformation of Pd⁺ to Pd⁰. Pd/ZS also can serve as an active and stable catalyst for 4-PhCl transformation to phenol after proper reduction.

In Situ-Formed PdFe Nanoalloy and Carbon Defects in Cathode for Synergic Reduction-Oxidation of Chlorinated Pollutants in Electro-Fenton Process

Complete dechlorination and mineralization of chlorophenols via the reduction-oxidation-mediated electro-Fenton process with a composite bulk cathode is first proposed. The in situ formation of a PdFe nanoalloy and carbon defects as key active sites is mutually induced during the formation of a carbon aerogel-based electrode. Specifically, the PdFe nanoalloy promotes the generation of [H]_ads as reduction sites and improves the electron transfer via an electrical circuit, while the carbon defects selectively favor the 2e^- oxygen reduction pathway. Notably, this work implies a novel electrocatalytic model for the formation of ·OH via (2 + 1)e^- oxygen reduction by a consecutive reaction with carbon defects and a PdFe nanoalloy. Complete total organic carbon removal and dechlorination of 3-chlorophenol were performed after 6 h. The kinetic rate constant for removing haloacetamides (HAMs) in drinking water was 0.21-0.41 h^-1, and the degradation efficiency was self-enhanced after electrolysis for 2 h because of the increased concentration of [H⁺]. The specific energy consumption was ∼0.55 W·h·g^-1 at 100% removal of some HAMs, corresponding to a power consumption of 0.6-1.1 kW·h for complete dehalogenation per ton of drinking water in waterworks. Moreover, the PdFe alloy/CA exhibited extreme mechanical and electrochemical stability with limited iron (∼0.07 ppm) and palladium (0.02 ppm) leaching during the actual application.

Catalytic Hydrodechlorination of Chlorophenols in a Continuous Flow Pd/CNT-Ni Foam Micro Reactor Using Formic Acid as a Hydrogen Source

Catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) has been considered as a promising method for the treatment of wastewater containing chlorinated organic pollutants. A continuous flow Pd/carbon nanotube (CNT)-Ni foam micro reactor system was first developed for the rapid and highly efficient HDC with formic acid (FA) as a hydrogen source. This micro reactor system, exhibiting a higher catalytic activity of HDC than the conventional packed bed reactor, reduced the residence time and formic acid consumption significantly. The desired outcomes (dichlorination >99.9%, 4-chlorophenol outlet concentration <0.1 mg/L) can be obtained under a very low FA/substrate molar ratio (5:1) and short reaction cycle (3 min). Field emission scanning electron microcopy (FESEM) and deactivation experiment results indicated that the accumulation of phenol (the main product during the HDC of chlorophenols) on the Pd catalyst surface can be the main factor for the long-term deactivation of the Pd/CNT-Ni foam micro reactor. The catalytic activity deactivation of the micro reactor could be almost completely regenerated by the efficient removal of the absorbed phenol from the Pd catalyst surface.

Rapid, highly efficient and stable catalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols over novel Pd/CNTs-Ni foam composite catalyst in continuous-flow

A novel Pd/CNTs-Ni foam composite catalyst was developed for catalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols by using CNTs-Ni foam as support. Characterizations including FESEM, TEM/HRTEM, HAADF-STEM and element mapping revel that the composite catalyst with 2 wt.% Pd loading possesses high porous micro-network structure and high dispersed active Pd nanoparticles (5.81 nm) on CNTs surface. The HDC of chlorophenols over Pd/CNTs-Ni foam composite catalyst has been studied in continuous-flow packed bed reactor. This packed bed reactor system with Pd/CNTs-Ni foam composite catalyst, presented the very short reaction cycle (22-74 s), high efficiency (dechlorination > 99.95%) and excellent catalytic stability during HDC in continuous-flow, making it to be a promising candidate for the HDC of wastewater containing highly toxic chlorinated organic pollutants and other Pd catalyzed hydrogenation reactions.

Pd nanoparticles modified rod-like nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons for effective catalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols

The preparation of rod-like nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbons (NOMCs) through a facial aqueous soft-template self-assembly route in one-pot is presented in this work.

The reaction mechanism for highly effective hydrodechlorination of p-chlorophenol over a Pd/CNTs catalyst

Different mass-transfer mechanisms of CNTs and AC for the HDC of p-CP.

Convenient preparation of Pd/RGO catalyst for the efficient hydrodechlorination of various chlorophenols

Highly active Pd/RGO (RGO, reduced graphene oxide) was easily prepared by a one pot co-reduction of Pd ions and GO using NaBH₄. The as-prepared catalyst exhibited excellent reactivity towards the degradation of chlorophenols under mild conditions without additives.

Electrodeposition of palladium and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites on foam-nickel electrode for electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol

A high-performance palladium (Pd) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite electrode was prepared on foam-nickel (foam-Ni) via two-step electrodeposition processes. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observation showed that the obtained Pd/RGO/foam-Ni composite electrode displayed a uniform and compact morphology. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis confirmed the successful deposition of Pd and RGO on nickel substrate. The cyclic voltammetric (CV) measurements indicated that the presence of RGO greatly enhanced the active surface area of Pd particles deposited on foam-Ni. The as-deposited Pd/RGO/foam-Ni electrode was applied to electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (ECH) of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). Various factors influencing the dechlorination of 4-CP such as dechlorination current, initial concentration of 4-CP, Na2SO4 concentration and initial pH were systematically investigated. The thermodynamic analysis showed that the dechlorination reaction of 4-CP at different temperatures followed the first-order kinetics and the activation energy for 4-CP dechlorination on Pd/RGO/foam-Ni electrode was calculated to be 51.96 kJ mol(-1). Under the optimum conditions, the dechlorination efficiency of 4-CP could reach 100% after 60-min ECH treatment. Moreover, the prepared Pd/RGO/foam-Ni composite electrode showed good stability for recycling utilization in ECH of 4-CP.

Dechlorination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in aqueous solution on novel Pd-loaded electrode modified with PPy-SDBS composite film

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a persistent pollutant and a suspected human carcinogen. It can be found in the air, water, and soil and enters the environment through evaporation from treated wood surfaces, industrial spills, and disposal at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Ecotoxicity of PCP necessitates the development of rapid and reliable remediation techniques. Electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis (ECH) has been proven as a promising method for detoxification of halogenated wastes, due to its rapid reaction rate, low apparatus cost, mild reaction conditions, and absence of secondary contaminants. Challenge for the application of ECH is to prepare a Pd-coated cathode with high stability, high catalytic activity, and low Pd loading level. In this work, Pd/polypyrrole-sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate/meshed Ti (Pd/PPy-SDBS/Ti) electrode was prepared and was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Electrochemically reductive dechlorination of PCP on the Pd/PPy-SDBS/Ti electrode in aqueous solution was investigated. Pd microparticles were uniformly dispersed on PPy-SDBS film which was previously electrodeposited on the meshed Ti supporting electrode. The loading of Pd on the electrode was 0.72 mg cm(-2). Electrocatalytic dechlorination of PCP was performed in a two-compartment cell separated by cation-exchange membrane. The PCP removal on the Pd/PPy-SDBS/Ti electrode could reach 100 % within 70 min with dechlorination current 3 mA when PCP initial concentration was 10 mg L(-1) and initial pH was 2.4. Conversion of PCP on the Pd/PPy-SDBS/Ti electrode followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the apparent activation energy was 13.0 kJ mol(-1). The removal of PCP still kept 100 % after 70 min dechlorination when the Pd/PPy-SDBS/Ti cathode was reused ten times. The electrode exhibited promising dechlorination potential with high electrocatalytic activity, good stability, and low cost.

Remediation of DDTr contaminated soil by the combination of solvent extraction and catalytic hydrodechlorination

A combination technique for remediation of DDT and its metabolites (DDTr) contaminated soil based on successive steps of solvent extraction, followed by catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) was studied.

Highly dispersive PdCoB catalysts for dechlorination of chlorophenols

Highly dispersive PdCoB nano-particles were prepared by precipitation-reduction with NaBH4 at 273 K. Characterization showed that the dispersion of amorphous alloy PdCoB nano-particles increased with decrease in both Pd/Co ratio and preparation temperature. The size of PdCoB-L(273) (Pd/Co ratio of 0.0005) nano-particles prepared at 273 K was 5 nm and BET specific surface area was estimated to be 177 m(2)/g, much higher than those of bimetallic catalysts reported in literature. During the hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol, PdCoB catalysts were effective within pH range from 2.5 to 11. The activity of PdCoB can be promoted by the increase in B/Co ratio on the surface. PdCoB-L(273) sample presented the highest efficiency, and the reaction constants described in different terms for 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were much higher than those obtained over PdFe in literature, probably ascribed to smaller particle sizes, less agglomerations and strong synergistic effect between Pd, Co and B species.

Effective hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol catalysed by magnetic palladium/reduced graphene oxide under mild conditions

Magnetic palladium/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (Pd/rGO-Fe₃O₄) were prepared by depositing Pd nanoparticles on an rGO-Fe₃O₄ magnetic support.

Catalytic hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol over a series of Pd–Cu/γ-Al2O3 bimetallic catalysts

A moderate amount of Cu addition to the Pd/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst will increase the catalytic activity of hydrodechlorination of chlorophenols.

Complete dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol in aqueous solution on palladium/polymeric pyrrole-cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide/foam-nickel composite electrode

The electrochemically reductive dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in aqueous solution on palladium/polymeric pyrrole-cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide/foam-nickel electrode (Pd/PPy-CTAB/foam-Ni electrode) was investigated in this paper. Pd/PPy-CTAB/foam-Ni electrode was prepared and characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) adsorption and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The influences of some experimental factors such as the dechlorination current, dechlorination time and the initial pH on the removal efficiency and the current efficiency of 2,4-DCP dechlorination on Pd/PPy-CTAB/foam-Ni electrode were studied. Complete removal of 2,4-DCP was achieved and the current efficiency of 47.4% could be obtained under the conditions of the initial pH of 2.2, the dechlorination current of 5 mA and the dechlorination time of 50 min when the initial 2,4-DCP concentration was 100 mg L(-1). The analysis of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified that the intermediate products were 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). The final products were mainly phenol. Its further reduction product cyclohexanone was also detected. The electrocatalytic dechlorination pathways of 2,4-DCP on Pd/PPy-CTAB/foam-Ni electrode were discussed. The stability of the electrode was favorable that it could keep dechlorination efficiency at 100% after having been reused 10 times. Results revealed that the stable prepared Pd/PPy-CTAB/foam-Ni electrode presented a good application prospect in dechlorination process with high effectiveness and low cost.

Bimetallic Pd/Al particles for highly efficient hydrodechlorination of 2-chlorobiphenyl in acidic aqueous solution

Pd-based bimetallic materials have been widely studied for the effective hydrodechlorination (HDC) of aqueous chloroorganic compounds. However, the reaction functions of metal substrates and mechanism responsible for changes in reactivity have not been fully elucidated. Here, we synthesized Pd-based bimetals with Mg, Al, Mn, Zn, Fe, Sn, and Cu to explore the influence of metal substrates on HDC reactivity of 2-chlorobiphenyl (2-PCB). Bimetals exhibited disparate reactivity toward 2-PCB in acidic solution. Among these bimetals, Pd/Al particles presented the highest stability and relatively high reactivity to remove 2-PCB. The maintenance and regeneration of Al substrate are attributed to its particular corrosion properties which provide an efficient recycling between Al element and its oxide layer. The fresh and reacted Pd/Al samples were characterized by ICP-OES, SEM, XRD, and BET. The investigation of the pH effect on 2-PCB HDC further revealed the particular behaviour of Al surface. The effect of Pd loading amount on the HDC indicated that the optimal Pd content in terms of catalytic activity was related to the Pd dispersion degree. Finally, a mechanism for 2-PCB HDC on the Pd/Al surface was proposed.

Electrochemical properties of the erbium-chitosan-fluorine-modified PbO2 electrode for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in aqueous solution

The erbium (Er)-chitosan-fluorine (F) modified PbO(2) electrode was prepared by electrodeposition method, and its use for adsorption and electrochemical degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in aqueous solution was compared with F-PbO(2) and Er-F-PbO(2) electrodes in a batch experiment. The electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and cyclic voltammetry. Degradation of 2,4-DCP depending on Er and chitosan contents was discussed. The results showed that Er(2)O(3) and chitosan were scattered between the prevailing crystal structure of beta-PbO(2) and thus decreased the internal stress of PbO(2) film. Prior to each electrolysis, the modified PbO(2) anode was first pre-saturated with 2,4-DCP solution for 360 min to preclude the 2,4-DCP decrease due to adsorption. Among the electrodes examined in our study, the highest adsorption and electrochemical degradation for 2,4-DCP and TOC removals that are due to oxidation and adsorption of the organic products onto the chitosan was observed on Er-chitosan-F-PbO(2) electrode. At an applied current density of 5 mAcm(-2), the removal percentages of 2,4-DCP and TOC (solution volume: 180 mL, initial 2,4-DCP concentration: 90 mgL(-1)) were 95% after 120 min and 53% after 360 min, respectively. At Er amount of 10mM in the precursor coating solution, the degradation and mineralization removal for 2,4-DCP on the Er-F-PbO(2) electrode reached a maximum. At chitosan amount of 5 gL(-1), the highest TOC removal on the Er-chitosan-F-PbO(2) electrode was observed. Intermediates mainly including aliphatic carboxylic acids were examined and a possible degradation pathway for 2,4-DCP in aqueous solution involving dechlorination and hydroxylation reactions was proposed.