Electrocatalytic nanocomposite flow-through porous electrodes with sputter-coated Cu/Co nanoparticles for degradation of waterborne perfluorooctanoic acid
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The ubiquitous perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exhibits remarkable persistence in the natural environment and has multiple potential toxic effects, posing a serious threat to human health and life safety. However, PFOA can hardly be effectively removed by conventional water treatment processes. In this study, we propose a novel electrocatalytic nanocomposite flow-through porous electrode prepared via sputter-coating of Cu and Co nanoparticles on a carbon felt (CF) substrate for the degradation of waterborne PFOA. A series of bimetallic Cu/Co@CF electrodes were successfully prepared, and the nanoparticle coating thickness and loading ratio were optimized. On the basis of systematic characterizations and degradation tests, the 4-nm-thick coating with a 1:1 Cu/Co ratio was determined to be the optimum coating recipe, and the corresponding Cu/Co@CF-T2 electrode achieved the highest PFOA removal of ∼ 44 % at a very low energy consumption of 0.11 kWh·m−3·order−1 within 150-min treatment, exhibiting a superior efficiency compared with related studies in the literature. Mechanism analyses revealed that the PFOA degradation could be primarily attributed to the h+-based direct electron transfer (69.15 %), ·OH oxidation (41.63 %), and 1O2 oxidation (37.8 %), with the h+ being the most dominant degradation mechanism. Long-term stability tests indicated a slight decrease in removal efficiency after three 150-min cycles, yet the composite electrode maintained a 32.02 % removal rate at competitively low energy consumption, suggesting promising potential for future research and application development, particularly in wastewater treatment involving perfluorinated compounds.
期刊介绍:
Separation and Purification Technology is a premier journal committed to sharing innovative methods for separation and purification in chemical and environmental engineering, encompassing both homogeneous solutions and heterogeneous mixtures. Our scope includes the separation and/or purification of liquids, vapors, and gases, as well as carbon capture and separation techniques. However, it's important to note that methods solely intended for analytical purposes are not within the scope of the journal. Additionally, disciplines such as soil science, polymer science, and metallurgy fall outside the purview of Separation and Purification Technology. Join us in advancing the field of separation and purification methods for sustainable solutions in chemical and environmental engineering.