Degradation of aniline by photoelectro-Fenton process using g-C3N4 based cathode

Publication date: Available online 3 July 2019Source: Journal of Electroanalytical ChemistryAuthor(s): Bin Ou, Jixiao Wang, Ying Wu, Song Zhao, Zhi WangAbstractA new electrode for photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) process was fabricated by electrochemical deposition of g-C3N4 on the surface of graphite felt (GF). The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscope, contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and current-time curves, the morphology and surface physicochemical properties after the electrochemical modification were obviously changed. The g-C3N4/GF electrode shows good electrochemical performance such as an improvement of the redox current and exhibits great photocatalysis under the light irradiation compared to raw GF. This new electrode improved significantly the generation of hydrogen peroxide, which was confirmed by the cyclic voltammetry. The electrons transfer to the cathode through the external circuit and O2 was reduced into H2O2, which was catalyzed by g-C3N4 through two-electron process, and the produced H2O2 was further reduced by the Fe2+ to •OH. Additionally, the degradation of aniline was investigated by g-C3N4/GF electrodes in an undivided cell at pH = 3.0 under the visible light irradiation. After 10 cycles, the mineralization ratio was still above 91% using the modified electrode, demonstrating that the modification method could effectively improve the PEF and benefit its environmental applications.
Source: Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research