Electrochemical decolorization of dye wastewater by surface-activated boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond electrode

Complex organics contained in dye wastewater are difficult to degrade and often require electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) to treat it. Surface activation of the electrode used in such treatment is an important factor determining the success of the process. The performance of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BD-NCD) film electrode for decolorization of Acid Yellow (AY-36) azo dye with respect to the surface activation by electrochemical polarization was studied. Anodic polarization found to be more suitable as electrode pretreatment compared to cathodic one. After anodic polarization, the originally H-terminated surface of BD-NCD was changed into O-terminated, making it more hydrophilic. Due to the oxidation of surface functional groups and some portion of sp² carbon in the BD-NCD film during anodic polarization, the electrode was successfully being activated showing lower background current, wider potential window and considerably less surface activity compared to the non-polarized one. Consequently, electrooxidation (EO) capability of the anodically-polarized BD-NCD to degrade AY-36 dye was significantly enhanced, capable of nearly total decolorization and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal even after several times of re-using. The BD-NCD film electrode favored acidic condition for the dye degradation; and the presence of chloride ion in the solution was found to be more advantageous than sulfate active species.     

A comparative study of the electrochemical oxidation of the herbicide tebuthiuron using boron-doped diamond electrodes

The thiadiazolylurea derivative tebuthiuron (TBH) is commonly used as an herbicide even though it is highly toxic to humans. While various processes have been proposed for the removal of organic contaminants of this type from wastewater, electrochemical degradation has shown particular promise. The aim of the present study was to investigate the electrochemical degradation of TBH using anodes comprising boron-doped (5000 and 30 000 ppm) diamond (BDD) films deposited onto Ti substrates operated at current densities in the range 10-200 mA cm⁻². Both anodes removed TBH following a similar pseudo first-order reaction kinetics with k_app close to 3.2 × 10⁻² min⁻¹. The maximum mineralization efficiency obtained was 80%. High-pressure liquid chromatography with UV-VIS detection established that both anodes degraded TBH via similar intermediates. Ion chromatography revealed that increasing concentrations of nitrate ions (up to 0.9 ppm) were formed with increasing current density, while the formation of nitrite ions was observed with both anodes at current densities ?150 mA cm⁻². The BDD film prepared at the lower doping level (5000 ppm) was more efficient in degrading TBH than its more highly doped counterpart. This unexpected finding may be explained in terms of the quantity of impurities incorporated into the diamond lattice during chemical vapor deposition.     

Electricity-driven ammonia oxidation and acetate production in microbial electrosynthesis systems

• MES was constructed for simultaneous ammonia removal and acetate production. • Energy consumption was different for total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen removal. • Energy consumption for acetate production was about 0.04 kWh/g. • Nitrate accumulation explained the difference of energy consumption. • Transport of ammonia and acetate across the membrane deteriorated the performance. Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is an emerging technology for producing chemicals, and coupling MES to anodic waste oxidation can simultaneously increase the competitiveness and allow additional functions to be explored. In this study, MES was used for the simultaneous removal of ammonia from synthetic urine and production of acetate from CO₂. Using graphite anode, 83.2%±5.3% ammonia removal and 28.4%±9.9% total nitrogen removal was achieved, with an energy consumption of 1.32 kWh/g N for total nitrogen removal, 0.45 kWh/g N for ammonia nitrogen removal, and 0.044 kWh/g for acetate production. Using boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode, 70.9%±12.1% ammonia removal and 51.5%±11.8% total nitrogen removal was obtained, with an energy consumption of 0.84 kWh/g N for total nitrogen removal, 0.61 kWh/g N for ammonia nitrogen removal, and 0.043 kWh/g for acetate production. A difference in nitrate accumulation explained the difference of total nitrogen removal efficiencies. Transport of ammonia and acetate across the membrane deteriorated the performance of MES. These results are important for the development of novel electricity-driven technologies for chemical production and pollution removal.     

Electrochemical treatment of aqueous wastes containing pyrogallol by BDD-anodic oxidation

In this work, the electrochemical oxidation of pyrogallol (1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene) on boron-doped diamond anodes has been studied. The voltammetric results showed that pyrogallol oxidation takes place in the same potential region as that of phenol where the supporting electrolyte is stable. Synthetic wastewaters containing pyrogallol have been treated in a bench-scale electrolysis plant. This plant operates in a discontinuous mode by recirculating the waste continuously through a single-chamber electrochemical flow cell. The complete mineralization of pyrogallol and the electro-generated pollutants is obtained in the electrolytic device. HPLC analyses show the formation of carboxylic acids as the main intermediates. The efficiency of the electrochemical process was found to depend mainly on the pollutant concentration present in the waste and on the applied current density. The high efficiency of this technology can be explained in terms of the direct electro-oxidation at the BDD surface and the oxidation carried out by hydroxyl radicals and other electro-generated oxidants.     

华南板块的内部结构和原生金刚石的地质意义

华南板块的构造格局与太平洋板块和印度板块的共同作用相关.华南板块中,由于绍兴-鹰潭-藤县-北海断裂带内中元古代蛇绿混杂岩的确认并恢复为消减的大洋,其两侧古老的扬子地块和华夏地块及其演化历史的追溯也日见清晰.它们是在两个克拉通地块基础上发展起来的.1998年在浙江省龙游首次发现的原生金刚石,产于这条深断裂旁侧白垩纪盆地中的似金伯利岩岩管内,含矿岩管生成深度大,构造部位有利;金刚石呈八面体外形、纯度高;类似的岩管有100多个,但研究程度较低,因而具有良好的找矿前景.     

论石材工业废渣中人造金刚石的回收

人造金刚石是锯切石材最理想的材料。通过对锯片金刚石脱落及金刚石在废渣中赋存状态的分析，论述从废渣中回收金刚石的必要性、可能性和客观条件；利用金刚石特有的物理化学性质及其与造岩矿物之间的物性差异，采用筛分祛清洗废渣、矿物分离、金刚石提纯、选形分级等方法，可获得纯度为99％以上的人造金刚石，回收率可达10％一15％；通过对回收金刚石强度的测定和再利用，证明完全具有重新使用价值。从废渣中回收人造金刚石的方法可靠，工艺合理，成本约占产值的30％左右，具有较好的社会经济效益。在国内外属首创的回收入造金刚石方法具有良好的推广应用价值。     

电催化-生物电化学耦合系统处理青霉素废水的机制

抗生素生产过程中产生大量含有残存抗生素的生产废水,传统的污水生物处理技术难以有效地处理此类高浓度抗生素废水.针对此问题,采用电催化-生物电化学耦合系统来处理含有典型的β-内酰胺类抗生素青霉素的废水,利用硼掺杂金刚石（boron-doped diamond,BDD）电催化电极对青霉素废水进行预处理,其出水进入生物电化学系统（bioelectrochemical system,BES）进行后处理.研究发现,经电催化系统预处理后青霉素的去除率为89%,出水进入BES后可以稳定运行,该出水中又有79%的青霉素被BES去除,获得最大功率密度为（1124±28）mW·m^-2,与直接进青霉素原始废水的BES反应器相比提高了473%.经过电催化-生物电化学两级耦合系统处理后青霉素的总去除率达到98%.对BES反应器阳极生物量和生物相分析结果表明,青霉素对阳极混合菌群生物量和变形菌门微生物（主要产电菌）有一定的抑制作用,且会降低形成阳极生物膜的主要微生物不动杆菌属Acinetobacter和具有产电功能芽孢杆菌属Bacillus在反应器中含量,这是影响反应器产电性能和处理效果的主要原因.青霉素废水经电催化降解后,浓度明显降低,有效缓解了青霉素对BES的抑制作用,提高废水的可生化性,因此电催化-生物电化学耦合系统是一种高效低能耗处理抗生素废水的新工艺.