Molecular oxygen confinement ladder enables stable electro-Fenton treatment of nanofiltration concentrate
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Clean water scarcity intensifies the need for advanced treatment of emerging contaminants in nanofiltration (NF) concentrates. Conventional electro-Fenton (EF) systems face unstable oxygen supply and electrode wetting in bubbleless aeration, limiting selective reactive oxygen species generation in high-salinity matrices. Here we show a molecular oxygen confinement ladder strategy by developing a conductive aeration membrane cathode in which boron nitride spontaneously forms wedge-shaped structures inside carbon nanotubes. This architecture achieves kinetic antiwetting and physical oxygen confinement at the nanoscale, accelerating Fe(II)/Fe(III) cycling and directing the pathway to dominant singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) generation. Experiments and simulations demonstrate fivefold faster degradation kinetics, complete sulfamethoxazole removal within 15 minutes, and sustained high efficiency over 48 hours of continuous operation, including a switch to real NF concentrate. The structure-oriented gas confinement approach thus offers a robust platform for selective and stable EF treatment of complex industrial wastewater.
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,000
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Harbin Institute of Technology, Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, Heilongjiang Provincial Postdoctoral Science Foundation, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, National University's Basic Research Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
OpenAlex ID: W7171994146