Issue 11, 2023

Porous calcium copper titanate electrodes for paracetamol degradation by electro-oxidation via CuO-induced peroxymonosulfate activation

Abstract

Some drugs cannot be efficiently eliminated using routine wastewater treatments and therefore are considered persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs can be removed using advanced oxidation processes. Among these processes, the combination of electrocatalysis and a sulfate-based advanced oxidation process via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is an attractive approach due to its high efficiency, low energy consumption and non-selective attack. It is well known that the type of anode strongly affects the electrocatalysis performance for water treatment. Here, we evaluated perovskites as electrode material due to their unique structural properties and high chemical stability. We fabricated porous anodes of calcium copper titanate (CaCu3Ti4O12; CCTO) with different percentages (20%, 30% and 40%) of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) by ball-milling. The samples that included PMMA displayed 50% porosity and pores were homogenously distributed. Morphological measurements show the presence of grain structures and grain boundaries containing CCTO and CuO phases, respectively. CCTO with 30 wt% PMMA (CCTO-30) exhibited the highest CuO phase amount, defect percentage and oxidation–reduction peak, and the smallest resistance. We used the obtained CCTO nanocomposites as anodes in a beaker (210 mL) with PMS (0.5 mM) to treat 10 ppm paracetamol in 50 mM sodium sulfate. After 90 minutes, paracetamol was completely decomposed using CCTO-30 due to PMS activation by a copper catalytic cycle (Cu2+/Cu1+ and Cu2+/Cu3+) to generate ˙SO4 radicals and Cu3+ non-radicals that are selective for its removal.

Graphical abstract: Porous calcium copper titanate electrodes for paracetamol degradation by electro-oxidation via CuO-induced peroxymonosulfate activation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 5 2023
Accepted
16 9 2023
First published
20 9 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2023,10, 3156-3170

Porous calcium copper titanate electrodes for paracetamol degradation by electro-oxidation via CuO-induced peroxymonosulfate activation

E. Makhoul, F. Tanos, M. F. Bekheet, W. Riedel, E. Petit, R. Viter, I. Tepliakova, A. Ramanavicius, A. Razzouk, G. Lesage, M. Cretin, M. Boulos, D. Cornu and M. Bechelany, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2023, 10, 3156 DOI: 10.1039/D3EN00317E

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