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A new supported Cu/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles composites prestoring reductant for nitrate removal: high reactivity and N2 selectivity

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Abstract

Catalytic hydrogen reduction appears to be a promising strategy for nitrate removal. However, the danger and low utilization of H2 are the disadvantages of catalytic hydrogen reduction. Sodium borohydride (NaBH4), considered a potential candidate for hydrogen storage, has been investigated as an electron source for the catalytic reduction of contaminants. However, extensive use of NaBH4 makes commercialization costly and causes environmental pollution. In this study, we prepared supported Cu/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles that could prestore hydrogen. No additional reducing agent was required during the nitrate reduction process. The performance and mechanism of Cu/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles for nitrate reduction are discussed. Good performance was obtained with high reactivity (99.04% nitrate removal efficiency) and high selectivity for N2 (94.71%). The Cu/Pd bimetallic catalyst could be recovered by NaBH4 for 5 cycles. Moreover, a 97.49% nitrate removal efficiency was obtained for actual wastewater, indicating good prospects for nitrate reduction applications.

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Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

Funding

This research was financially funded by the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (Nos. 2018M642758 and 2018M632783), the Science Foundation of Henan Normal University (No. 20200179), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41702269 and No. 51808485).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, School of Environment, Henan Normal University, 64 East of Construction Road, Xinxiang, 453007, China

    Zhanhui Shen, Gege Peng, Jialu Shi & Gao Ya

  2. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, 210046, China

    Zhanhui Shen & Jialu Shi

Authors
  1. Zhanhui Shen
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  2. Gege Peng
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  3. Jialu Shi
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  4. Gao Ya
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Contributions

Zhanhui Shen made a great contribution to the writing of the manuscript. Gege Peng analyzed the experiment data. Jialu Shi was the major writer of the manuscript. The elementary experiments were operated by Gao Ya. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zhanhui Shen or Jialu Shi.

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Shen, Z., Peng, G., Shi, J. et al. A new supported Cu/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles composites prestoring reductant for nitrate removal: high reactivity and N2 selectivity. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 51786–51794 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14372-w

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