Elucidating the effects of different photoanode materials on electricity generation and dye degradation in a sustainable hybrid system of photocatalytic fuel cell and peroxi-coagulation process. (January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nordin, Noradiba; Ho, Li-Ngee; Ong, Soon-An; Ibrahim, Abdul Haqi; Lee, Sin-Li; Ong, Yong-Por
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 214(2019)
• Page Start: 614
• Page End: 622
• Publication Date: 2019-01
• Subjects: Photocatalytic fuel cell -- Peroxi-coagulation process -- Photoanode materials -- Electricity generation -- Dye degradation; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.09.144
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: The hybrid system of photocatalytic fuel cell – peroxi-coagulation (PFC-PC) is a sustainable and green technology to degrade organic pollutants and generate electricity simultaneously. In this study, three different types of photocatalysts: TiO2, ZnO and α-Fe2 O3 were immobilized respectively on carbon cloth (CC), and applied as photoanodes in the photocatalytic fuel cell of this hybrid system. Photocatalytic fuel cell was employed to drive a peroxi-coagulation process by generating the external voltage accompanying with degrading organic pollutants under UV light irradiation. The degradation efficiency of Amaranth dye and power output in the hybrid system of PFC-PC were evaluated by applying different photoanode materials fabricated in this study. In addition, the effect of light on the photocurrent of three different photoanode materials was investigated. In the absence of light, the reduction of photocurrent percentage was found to be 69.7%, 17.3% and 93.2% in TiO2 /CC, ZnO/CC and α-Fe2 O3 /CC photoanodes, respectively. A maximum power density (1.17 mWcm −2 ) and degradation of dye (93.8%) at PFC reactor were achieved by using ZnO/CC as photoanode. However, the different photoanode materials at PFC showed insignificant difference in dye degradation trend in the PC reactor. Meanwhile, the degradation trend of Amaranth at PFC reactor was influenced by the recombination rate, electron mobility and band gap energy of photocatalyst among different photoanode materials. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Amaranth degradation at PFC was affected by different photoanode materials. Influence of photoanode on degradation at peroxi-coagulation reactor was insignificant. ZnO/CC generated higher electricity compared to TiO2 /CC and α-Fe2 O3 /CC in the system. Fast mineralization of intermediate compounds occurred at PFC except for α-Fe2 O3 /CC.