Preparation of multifunctional gas-diffusion electrode and its application to the degrading of chlorinated phenols by electrochemical reducing and oxidizing processes

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• 作者：Hui Wang ; Zhaoyong Bian ; Guang Lu ; Lei Pang ; Zhipeng Zeng ; Dezhi Sun
• 关键词：Chlorinated organic pollutants ; Palladium-modified electrode ; Reduction and oxidation processes ; Reductive dechlorination
• 刊名：Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：21 August, 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：125
• 期：Complete
• 页码：449-456
• 全文大小：1106 K

文摘

Multifunctional gas-diffusion electrode with electrochemical reduction and oxidation properties was achieved based on the palladium-modified activated carbon (Pd/C). Pd/C catalysts were prepared using the formaldehyde reduction from nitric acid treated activated carbon and fully characterized by Boehm titration method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The electrochemical degradation of three typical chlorinated phenols (4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) was investigated in a diaphragm electrolysis system with the Pd/C gas-diffusion electrode as a cathode, feeding firstly with hydrogen gas and then with air. The electrolysis system with 15 % mass fraction nitric acid pretreated activated carbon showed better electrocatalytic activity compared to those from other mass fractions nitric acid, due to the active organic function groups increased on the surface of the activated carbon. When the ratio of Pd/C was low, Pd particles with an average size of 3.5 nm were highly dispersed in the activated carbon with an amorphous structure. The Pd/C gas-diffusion cathode cannot only reductively dechlorinate chlorinated phenols by feeding hydrogen gas, but also accelerate the two-electron reduction of O₂ to H₂O₂ by feeding air. Therefore, the removal efficiency of chlorinated phenols reached almost 100 % , conforming to the sequence of 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol. The dechlorination of three chlorinated phenols exceeded 80 % after 100 min. For H₂O₂ and HO existed in the catholyte, the mineralization of organic pollutants in the cathodic compartment was better than that in the anodic compartment. Finally, chlorinated organic pollutants were efficiently degraded by the combined processes of reduction and oxidation in the present system.