Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Phenol by SnO2-Sb2O3/GAC Particle Electrodes in a Three-Dimensional Electrochemical Oxidation System

Abstract

In this study, SnO2-Sb2O3/GAC particle electrodes were prepared using the dip-calcination method. The particle electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), thermogravimetric test and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), which proved that the metal oxide was successfully loaded on the granular activated carbon and exhibited high electrocatalytic activity and thermal stability. The effects of initial pH, electrolytic voltage, electrolyte concentration, initial phenol concentration and particle electrode dosage on the performance of the three-dimensional (3D) electrocatalytic oxidation in phenol degradation were investigated. The results showed that under the optimal conditions, the removal rates of phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 99.65% and 67.16%, respectively. Finally, it was found that the novel particle electrodes had the ability of stable operation, maintaining high-efficiency operation no less than 15 times, which further highlights their robustness and durability.