A Bifunctional Electroactive Ti<sub>4</sub>O<sub>7</sub>-Based Membrane System for Highly Efficient Ammonia Decontamination

Herein, an electroactive filtration system, consisting of a Ti<sub>4</sub>O<sub>7</sub> anode and a Pd-Cu co-modified nickel foam cathode, was developed and applied for the decontamination of ammonia from water. When assisted with an external electrical field, ClO• was genera...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wenchang Zhao, Jiancheng Mei, Yanbiao Liu, Bo Yang, Fang Li, Xiaofeng Fang, Manhong Huang, Wolfgang Sand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Catalysts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/10/4/383
Description
Summary:Herein, an electroactive filtration system, consisting of a Ti<sub>4</sub>O<sub>7</sub> anode and a Pd-Cu co-modified nickel foam cathode, was developed and applied for the decontamination of ammonia from water. When assisted with an external electrical field, ClO• was generated on the surface of the Ti<sub>4</sub>O<sub>7</sub> anode, which then reacted selectively with ammonia to generate N<sub>2</sub>. The anodic byproduct, NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, could also be reduced efficiently at the functional cathode to produce N<sub>2</sub> as well. Electron paramagnetic resonance technique and radical scavenging tests synergistically verified the essential role of ClO• during the highly efficient ammonia conversion process. Relative to conventional batch systems, the developed flow-through design demonstrated enhanced ammonia conversion kinetics, thanks to the convection-enhanced mass transport. The proposed technology also showed desirable stability across a wide environmental matrix. This work provides new insights for the development of advanced and affordable continuous-flow systems towards effective decontamination of ammonia.
ISSN:2073-4344