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Mechanism and efficiency research of P- and N-codoped graphene for enhanced paracetamol electrocatalytic degradation

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Abstract

Electrocatalytic oxidation is an effective technology for treatment of refractory organic pollutants, and its performance strongly depends on anode materials. Among all anode materials, graphene (GN) owns the advantages of high stability and lack of secondary pollution. The catalytic performance of GN can be further improved through heteroatom doping. Here, P/N-codoped graphene (PN-GN) materials were optimized and used as an anode material for 4-acetamidophenol (APAP) electrocatalytic degradation. Result indicated that PN-GN had lower internal resistance, larger specific surface area, and higher electrochemical activity than single-doped graphene materials. The catalytic activity of GN was greatly improved by P/N codoping. When PN-GN (P8.4%-N7.6%-500 °C) was used as catalyst (current of 20 mA, initial pH of 7, reaction time of 60 min), the degradation efficiency of APAP reached 98.2% ± 1.8%, which was 17.9% ± 3.6% higher than P-codoped graphene (P-GN), 14.7% ± 4.6% higher than N-codoped graphene (N-GN), and 54.0% ± 5.2% higher than GN. After 180 min of reaction, the degradation efficiency of total organic carbon (TOC) was 78.5%. The reaction conditions were optimized and the degradation pathway of APAP was estimated to elucidate the catalytic mechanism. The main active substances generated in the system were identified as active chlorine and O2•−.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Testing Center of Huaqiao University for high-performance liquid chromatography.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant (51978291), Fujian Province Science and Technology Project Foundation (2021J01311, 2022I0030), Xiamen Science and Technology project Foundation (3502Z20226012) and Scientific Research Funds of Huaqiao University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, China

    Qian Zhang, Yong-bo Yu & Jun-ming Hong

  2. Fujian Provincial Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Biochemical Treatment, Huaqiao University), Xiamen, 361021, China

    Qian Zhang, Yong-bo Yu & Jun-ming Hong

Authors
  1. Qian Zhang
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  2. Yong-bo Yu
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  3. Jun-ming Hong
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Contributions

Qian Zhang and Jun-ming Hong contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Qian Zhang, Yong-bo Yu, and Jun-ming Hong. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Qian Zhang and Yong-bo Yu. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jun-ming Hong.

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Highlights

1. The properties and activity of graphene (GN) were improved by P and N codoping.

2. Main substances generated via PN-GN were identified as active chlorine and O2•–.

3. The energy consumption indicated economically feasible for PN-GN application.

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Zhang, Q., Yu, Yb. & Hong, Jm. Mechanism and efficiency research of P- and N-codoped graphene for enhanced paracetamol electrocatalytic degradation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 80281–80296 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21241-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21241-7

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