Work

Design and optimization of a 3D electro-photocatalytic digital-baffle reactor for enhanced copper removal from produced water using Ag₂O/bentonite composite electrodes

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In this work, an advanced three-dimensional electro-photocatalytic oxidation design was developed by combining a nanocomposite of bentonite and silver oxide by precipitation methods within a novel-designed digital-baffle batch photo-electrochemical oxidation reactor. The nanocomposite was prepared by precipitation technique and subsequently characterized using FE-SEM, FTIR, BET, XRD, DRS, and EDS measurements, confirming the successful deposition of silver oxide onto the nano clay surface and the production of a nanocomposite with physicochemical properties that were used as three-dimensional particle electrodes to intensify electro- and photooxidation. The effect of key working variables, including solution pH, oxidation time, nanocomposite amount, and temperature by Box–Behnken design, with high copper removal 99.7, 82.4%, and 66.7% at pH 9, 0.5 g nanocomposite amount, 30 minutes, and 55 o C.Three-dimensional electro-photocatalytic (3D-EPCO) was compared with photo catalytic (PCO) and catalytic oxidation (CO), respectively, for copper removal in produced water, with the following first-order kinetic oxidation for reactive oxidants with copper ions in produced water (PW). Statistical analysis recognized excellent agreement between experimental and predicted responses. These results prove that the proposed combined design signifies a highly efficient, ecologically sustainable, and scalable technology for copper removal in produced water and suggest a promising strategy for next-generation manufacturing wastewater remediation.

Source: Desalination and Water Treatment

DOI: 10.1016/j.dwt.2026.102003

Authors: Umalbaneen A. Kadhim, Haider Ismael Ibrahim, Ahmed Baqer Abdullah, Sabreen Abdulrazaq Abood, Ali A. Hassan, Ali Samir