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Wang J, Sharaf F, Kanwal A. Nitrate pollution and its solutions with special emphasis on electrochemical reduction removal. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:9290-9310. [PMID: 36464745 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24450-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate pollution has become a serious environmental concern all over the world including in China due to the mismanagement of water resources and human activities. Agricultural runoff and industrial and nuclear waste are among the major sources of nitrate pollution. Consuming nitrate-rich water can cause many chronic diseases including digestive problems, which can lead to many types of cancer and other serious health issues. Denitrification is the natural process for nitrate reduction under aerobic conditions, but it cannot handle an excess of nitrate, so several methods have been adopted for nitrate removal, i.e., biological, chemical, physicochemical, and electrochemical reduction removal. Among all, electrochemical reduction removal is a cost-effective and environmental-friendly process. To obtain the maximal elimination efficiency ideal conditions of current intensity, pH, plate distance, initial nitrate concentration, and type of electrolyte solution should be studied for effective nitrate removal. Electrochemical reduction removal of nitrate involves the transfer of electrons and hydrogenation. Besides an efficient nitrate removal process, electrochemical reduction removal has some drawbacks like sludge formation, low selectivity for nitrogen, and production of brine that limit its long-term implementation. This review focused on nitrate pollution, previous nitrate removal strategies, and essential principles for understanding the mechanism of electrochemical reduction removal and controlling the products of the reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahong Wang
- School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, 710021, Xi'an, China.
| | - Faisal Sharaf
- School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, 710021, Xi'an, China
| | - Aqsa Kanwal
- School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, 710021, Xi'an, China
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Xu H, Ma Y, Chen J, Zhang WX, Yang J. Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate - a step towards a sustainable nitrogen cycle. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:2710-2758. [PMID: 35274646 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00857a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate enrichment, which is mainly caused by the over-utilization of fertilisers and industrial sewage discharge, is a major global engineering challenge because of its negative influence on the environment and human health. To solve this serious problem, many technologies, such as the activated sludge method, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, adsorption, and electrodialysis, have been developed to reduce the nitrate levels in water bodies. However, the applications of these traditional techniques are limited by several drawbacks, such as a long sludge retention time, slow kinetics, and undesirable by-products. From an environmental perspective, the most promising nitrate reduction technology is enabled to convert nitrate into benign N2, and features low cost, high efficiency, and environmental friendliness. Recently, electrocatalytic nitrate reduction has been proven by satisfactory research achievements to be one of the most promising methods among these technologies. This review provides a comprehensive account of nitrate reduction using electrocatalysis methods. The fundamentals of electrocatalytic nitrate reduction, including the reaction mechanisms, reactor design principles, product detection methods, and performance evaluation methods, have been systematically summarised. A detailed introduction to electrocatalytic nitrate reduction on transition metals, especially noble metals and alloys, Cu-based electrocatalysts, and Fe-based electrocatalysts is provided, as they are essential for the accurate reporting of experimental results. The current challenges and potential opportunities in this field, including the innovation of material design systems, value-added product yields, and challenges for products beyond N2 and large-scale sewage treatment, are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Ma
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
| | - Jun Chen
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, Australian Institute of Innovative Materials, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Wei-Xian Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jianping Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
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Min B, Gao Q, Yan Z, Han X, Hosmer K, Campbell A, Zhu H. Powering the Remediation of the Nitrogen Cycle: Progress and Perspectives of Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction. Ind Eng Chem Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c03072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bokki Min
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
| | - Qiang Gao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
| | - Zihao Yan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
| | - Xue Han
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
| | - Kait Hosmer
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
| | - Alayna Campbell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
| | - Huiyuan Zhu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States,
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Beltrame TF, Zoppas FM, Gomes MC, Ferreira JZ, Marchesini FA, Bernardes AM. Electrochemical nitrate reduction of brines: Improving selectivity to N 2 by the use of Pd/activated carbon fiber catalyst. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 279:130832. [PMID: 34134432 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Contamination of water by nitrate has become a worldwide problem, being high levels of this ion detected in the surface, and groundwater, mainly due to the intensive use of fertilizers, and to the discharge of not properly treated effluents. This study aims to evaluate the electrocatalytic process, carried out in a cell divided into two compartments by a cation exchange membrane, and with a copper plate electrode as cathode, identifying the effects of current density, pH, the use of a catalyst in the nitrate reduction, and the production of gaseous compounds. The highest nitrate reduction was obtained with a current density of 2.0 mA cm-2, without pH adjustment and, in this condition, nitrite ion was mainly formed. The application of activated carbon fibers with palladium (1% wt. and 3% wt.) in an alkaline medium presented an increase in gaseous compounds formation. With 2.0 mA cm-2, pH adjustment, and applying 3% wt. Pd catalyst, the highest selectivity to gaseous compounds was obtained (95%) with no nitrite detection. These results highlight the viability of using the process developed at this work for the treatment of nitrate contaminated waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Favarini Beltrame
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (INCAPE-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Fernanda Miranda Zoppas
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (INCAPE-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Maria Carolina Gomes
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Jane Zoppas Ferreira
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Albana Marchesini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (INCAPE-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Andrea Moura Bernardes
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Beltrame TF, Zoppas FM, Ferreira JZ, Marchesini FA, Bernardes AM. Nitrate reduction by electrochemical processes using copper electrode: evaluating operational parameters aiming low nitrite formation. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2021; 84:200-215. [PMID: 34280164 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2021.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This work aims to present different electroreduction and electrocatalytic processes configurations to treat nitrate contaminated water. The parameters tested were: current density, cell potential, electrode potential, pH values, cell type and catalyst use. It was found that the nitrite ion is present in all process variations used, being the resulting nitrite concentration higher in an alkaline pH. The increase in current density on galvanostatic operation mode provides a greater reduction of nitrate (64%, 1.4 mA cm-2) if compared to the potentiostatic (20%) and constant cell potential (37%) configurations. In a dual-chamber cell the nitrate reduction with current density of 1.4 mA cm-2 was tested and obtained as a NO3- reduction of 85%. The use of single chamber cell presented 32 ± 3% of nitrate reduction, indicating that in this cell type the nitrate reduction is smaller than in dual-chamber cell (64%). The presence of a Pd catalyst with 3.1% wt. decreased the nitrite (1.0 N-mg L-1) and increased the gaseous compounds (9.4 N-mg L-1) formation. The best configuration showed that, by fixing the current density, the highest nitrate reduction is obtained and the pH presents a significant influence during the tests. The use of the catalyst decreased the nitrite and enhanced the gaseous compounds formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- T F Beltrame
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - F M Zoppas
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (INCAPE-CONICET), Santiago del Estero 2829, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - J Z Ferreira
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - F A Marchesini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (INCAPE-CONICET), Santiago del Estero 2829, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - A M Bernardes
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais LACOR-UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Beltrame TF, Zoppas FM, Marder L, Marchesini FA, Miró E, Bernardes AM. Use of a two-step process to denitrification of synthetic brines: electroreduction in a dual-chamber cell and catalytic reduction. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:1956-1968. [PMID: 31768960 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06763-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Membrane separation processes are being currently applied to produce drinking water from water contaminated with nitrate. The overall process generates a brine with high nitrate/nitrite concentration that is usually send back to a conventional wastewater treatment plant. Catalytic processes to nitrate reduction are being studied, but the main goal of achieving a high selectivity to nitrogen production is still a matter of research. In this work, a two-step process was evaluated, aiming to verify the best combination of operational parameters to efficiently reduce nitrate to nitrogen. In the first step, the nitrate was reduced to nitrite by electroreduction, applying a copper electrode and different cell potentials. A second step of the process was carried out by reducing the generated nitrite with a catalytic process by hydrogenation. The results showed that the highest nitrate reduction (89%) occurred when a cell potential of 11 V was applied. In this condition, the nitrite ion was generated with all experimental conditions evaluated. Then, to reduce the nitrite ion formed by catalytic reduction, activated carbon fibers (ACF) and powder γ-alumina (γ-Al2O3) were tested as supports for palladium (Pd). With both catalysts, the total nitrite conversion was obtained, being the selectivity to gaseous compounds 94% and 97% for Pd/Al2O3 and Pd/ACF, respectively. Considering the results obtained, a two-stage treatment setup to brine denitrification may be proposed. With electrochemistry, an operating condition was achieved in which ammonium production can be controlled to very low values, but the reduction is predominant to nitrite. With the second step, all nitrite is converted to nitrogen gas and just 3% of ammonium is produced with the most selective catalyst. The main novelty of this work is associated to the use of a two-stage process enabling 89% of nitrate reduction and 100% of nitrite reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Favarini Beltrame
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais (LACOR, UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (FIQ, UNL-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, S3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Fernanda Miranda Zoppas
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais (LACOR, UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil.
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (FIQ, UNL-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, S3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Luciano Marder
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais (LACOR, UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Albana Marchesini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (FIQ, UNL-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, S3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Miró
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Catálisis y Petroquímica (FIQ, UNL-CONICET), Santiago del Estero, 2829, S3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Andrea Moura Bernardes
- Laboratório de Corrosão, Proteção e Reciclagem de Materiais (LACOR, UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil
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Makover J, Hasson D, Huang Y, Semiat R, Shemer H. Electrochemical removal of nitrate from a Donnan dialysis waste stream. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2019; 80:727-736. [PMID: 31661452 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2019.314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The objective of this work was to investigate electrochemical removal of nitrate from a high salinity waste stream generated by Donnan dialysis. Donnan dialysis for nitrate removal is a promising technique. It produces a distinctive composition of a high salinity waste stream of NaCl or Na2SO4 that requires a viable disposal method. The waste stream has the full anionic composition of contaminated groundwater, but the only cation is sodium. Experiments were conducted in a batch system setup. A copper cathode was chosen over brass, aluminum and graphite cathodes. A dimensionally stable anode (DSA), Ti/PbO2, was selected over a Ti/Pt anode. Electrochemical denitrification of high salinity Donnan dialysis nitrate wastes was successfully achieved, with different behavior exhibited in high salinity NaCl solution than in high salinity Na2SO4 solution. NaCl inhibited nitrate removal at high salinities while Na2SO4 did not. The maximum removals after 4 h operation in the high salinity wastes were 69 and 87% for the NaCl and Na2SO4 solutions respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judah Makover
- GWRI Rabin Desalination Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel E-mail:
| | - David Hasson
- GWRI Rabin Desalination Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel E-mail:
| | - Yunyan Huang
- GWRI Rabin Desalination Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel E-mail:
| | - Raphael Semiat
- GWRI Rabin Desalination Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel E-mail:
| | - Hilla Shemer
- GWRI Rabin Desalination Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel E-mail:
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