Efficient, electrochemical degradation of organic pollutants via nanofibrous Pt/Ir–RuO2 electrode with enhanced stability

Abstract

A diverse range of surfactants and chelating agents are frequently used in industrial processes, especially in the decontamination of nuclear facilities for decommissioning. To treat and degrade these organic pollutants, electrooxidation (EO) has emerged as a cost-effective method. Along these lines, in this work, a nanofibrous electrode was constructed to facilitate efficient EO. Among various metal oxide for EO, RuO2 is known for its excellent electrochemical activity, which was fabricated into a nanofiber structure with a large specific surface area and doped with IrO2 to increase its stability. In addition to the use of nanofibrous Ir–RuO2, a Pt intermediate layer was incorporated to increase both structural stability and electrical conductivity. The nanofibrous electrode with a Ru:Ir composition of 9:1 showed an electrochemical activation area 1.7 times larger and a charge transfer resistance 4.7 times smaller than a flat-type electrode with the same composition. Efficient degradation (99%) of organic pollutants (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, Triton X-100, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)) was successfully performed using the nanofibrous electrode. Effective decomposition of radioactive waste (NTA combined with Co ions) with 99% degradation within 4 h was achieved.