Issue 8, 2022

Integrating electrodeposition with electrolysis for closed-loop resource utilization of battery industrial wastewater

Abstract

Traditional ab initio industrial wastewater treatment and utilization processes require high energy consumption and have high carbon emissions. Synergistically recovering critical elements, such as metals and hydrogen (H2), from the process is crucial to innovate modern industrial wastewater treatment technologies toward lower carbon emission avenues. Herein, by integrating electrodeposition and water splitting process into battery industrial wastewater management, we have demonstrated a facile metal recycling and wastewater resource reutilization routine. The electrodeposited NiCoMn layered triple hydroxides (LTHs) possess a hierarchical nanoflower structure capable of acting as a bifunctional catalyst for post-electrodeposition (PE) wastewater splitting for H2 production. The optimized wastewater-derived S-3||S-3 couple electrodes outperform the benchmark counterpart, Pt/C||RuO2, for PE wastewater electrolysis, with an H2 production rate of 2.23 vs. 1.78 mg h−1 at an applied potential of 1.8 V. A detailed mechanistic study reveals that metal species with lower valence states in LTHs account for high HER activity, while the in situ evolved amorphous metal (oxy)hydroxides act as the active sites for OER. This report presents an innovative strategy to simultaneously recycle critical metals and produce molecular H2 from industrial wastewater, paving the way for industrial wastewater recycling that ensures optimal resource utilization with low carbon emissions and a modern vision of industrial ecology.

Graphical abstract: Integrating electrodeposition with electrolysis for closed-loop resource utilization of battery industrial wastewater

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Dec 2021
Accepted
09 Mar 2022
First published
10 Mar 2022

Green Chem., 2022,24, 3208-3217

Integrating electrodeposition with electrolysis for closed-loop resource utilization of battery industrial wastewater

Z. Chen, W. Wei, W. Zou, J. Li, R. Zheng, W. Wei, B. Ni and H. Chen, Green Chem., 2022, 24, 3208 DOI: 10.1039/D1GC04891K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements