High Efficiency Electrochemical Degradation of Phenol Using a Ti/PbO2-Bi-PTh Composite Electrode

Abstract

A novel Ti/PbO2-Bi-PTh composite electrode was successfully prepared by electrodeposition and applied in electrochemical degradation of phenol. The Ti/PbO2-Bi-PTh electrode was characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM, LSV, CV and EIS. Results showd that the electrode has a fine and compact surface structure, higher oxygen evolution potential (OEP, 2.42 V) and low charge transfer resistance (51.00 Ω). The electrode also exhibited excellent electrochemical oxidation activity on the degradation of phenol (1000 mg l−1) with degradation efficiency of 100% and TOC removal rate of 93.58% achieved in 60 min and 180 min, respectively. In addition, possible mechanism of phenol degradation on the electrode was proposed by analyzing the intermediate products with GC-MS. Noticeably, the Ti/PbO2-Bi-PTh electrode displayed excellent stability and high electrocatalytic performance after 10 cycles, indicating its promising application in the phenolic wastewater treatment.