Work

Cathode-mediated electrochemical conversion of phenol to benzoquinone in wastewater: High yield rate and low energy consumption

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: =O) during PMS activation. Notably, the electrochemical process with Fe/C-MS and PMS (denoted Fe/C-MS-E/PMS) achieved a high yield of p-BQ at 80.2 % and a selectivity of 93.7 % within 5 min, resulting in an ultra-low energy consumption (0.07 KWh/mol phenol). The p-BQ production rate reached an impressive value of 1002.5 %/h, 30-500 times higher than the traditional chemical and anodic oxidation methods. The applicability of this cathode-mediated process was further validated by its successful treatment of real coking wastewater, underscoring the potential as a sustainable strategy for selective conversion of phenol to desired products with high yield and low energy consumption. All the findings available in this study drive us to image that the long-neglected cathode-mediated process, if rationally designed, may serve as an attractive strategy for more sustainable resource recovery during wastewater treatment.

Source: Water Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122967