Applied Chemical Engineering

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

Yuhang Zhang

School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

Yang Qu

School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

Zhijun Li

Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China

Li Yu

School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University

Liqiang Jing

Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/ace.v4i2.1358

Keywords: Electrochemical Cathode, Nano-graphite, CeOx, Pd Modification, Phenol Degradation

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Abstract

To improve the cathode electro-catalytic degradation performance of electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOP), Pd metal and CeO_x co-modified Nano-graphite (Pd/CeO_x/Nano-G) composite was synthesized by chemical precipitation and reduction methods, and Pd/CeO_x/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 CeO_x (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 Pd_1.0/CeO_x5.0/Nano-G cathode reached 99.6% within 120 min degradation, which were higher than that of CeO_x5.0/Nano-G and Nano-G cathodes. Both of the Pd metal and CeO_x 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/CeO_x/Nano-G cathode would have promise for further practical application in organic wastewater treatment.

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