Synthesis of Pd/CeOx/Nano-graphite composite cathode for electro-catalytic degradation of phenol

Abstract

To improve the cathode electro-catalytic degradation performance of electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOP), Pd metal and CeOx co-modified Nano-graphite (Pd/CeOx/Nano-G) composite was synthesized by chemical precipitation and reduction methods, and Pd/CeOx/Nano-G cathode was prepared by a hot-pressing method. The as-prepared composite and electrode were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electrons microscopy. Results revealed that the mix-crystal structural CeOx (Ce2O3 and CeO2) and Pd0 metal were formed. The cathode was applied for the electro-catalytic degradation of phenol wastewater. The degradation efficiency of phenol by Pd1.0/CeOx5.0/Nano-G cathode reached 99.6% within 120 min degradation, which were higher than that of CeOx5.0/Nano-G and Nano-G cathodes. Both of the Pd metal and CeOx could improve the O2 reduction to H2O2 and promote the H2O2 dissociation to •OH for phenol oxidation. Additionally, the effects of electro-catalytic reaction parameters on the phenol degradation were investigated. The results indicated that Pd/CeOx/Nano-G cathode would have promise for further practical application in organic wastewater treatment.

Electrochemical Degradation of Phenol in Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbon-ZnO Composite

“…On the other side, ZnO was not uniform at the surface of GAC-ZnO catalyst to exert all the catalytic activity (Gao and Wang, 2021) or the reason may be that the introduction of too much ZnO will cover the active sites on the electrode surface (Zhang et al, 2021b). We can also site that a significant factor sensible to the supporting electrolyte concentration is the conductivity of water to be treated.…”