Work

Integrated electrochemical dechlorination and mineralization of diclofenac using CN@PdNi cathode and CN anode for enhanced detoxification

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Chlorinated pharmaceuticals like diclofenac (DCF) pose persistent environmental risks due to their bioaccumulation and toxicity, necessitating advanced remediation strategies. Herein, an integrated electrochemical system was developed, combining a self-nitrogen-doped carbon nitride (CN)-supported PdNi (CN@PdNi) cathode for electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (ECH) with a CN anode for oxidative mineralization in a single, sequential process. The CN@PdNi cathode achieved 98.6% ECH efficiency, selectively cleaving C–Cl bonds to mitigate toxicity, which is attributed to its structural merits, including a well-dispersed, albeit partially clustered, nanoparticle distribution, metallic Pd/Ni phases, predominant Pd 0 /Ni 0 states, and enhanced porosity. Subsequent CN anodic oxidation enabled 96.8% total organic carbon (TOC) removal, ensuring near-complete mineralization. Mechanistic studies via Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), quenching, LSV, and Tafel slopes revealed atomic hydrogen (*H) generated at Pd 0 sites as the primary reactive species, augmented by electron transfer. The system exhibited robust performance across varied conditions and exceptional stability (< 1% efficiency loss over 11 consecutive cycles). Toxicity assessments showed 3–5 Log 10 unit reductions (ECOSAR) and mung bean germination rates improving from 68.7 to 99.8%. This dual-functional detoxification-mineralization strategy overcomes the limitations of single-step processes and offers a scalable, sustainable solution for efficient remediation of halogenated pollutants.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-34272-0