Mechanism of enhanced degradation of antibiotic wastewater by three-dimensional electrocatalytic oxidation system: Coconut shell biochar as particle electrode

Abstract

A porous particle electrode, coconut shell biochar (CBC), was prepared using coconut shell as raw material and applied to the treatment of tetracycline (TC) wastewater. Exploring the three-dimensional electrocatalytic oxidation system using a series of key factors such as pH (2−10), current density (20–60 mA/cm2), CBC particle size (0.88–2.36 mm), CBC dosage (3–13 g/L), electrolyte concentration (5000–10,000 mg/L), and electrode spacing (3–5 cm). The optimal conditions for these parameters were 10, 50 mA/cm2, 1.4–1.7 mm, 7 g/L, 8000 mg/L, and 4 cm. Under these conditions, the degradation of TC conformed to pseudo-first-order kinetics. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and TC removal rates reached 84.01 % and 99.18 % within 45 min, while the two-dimensional system only achieved 29.27 % and 39.83 %, respectively. The degradation mechanism of TC was determined based on the production of H2O2 and •OH. The adsorbed saturated CBC might be regenerated through electrochemical reactions, inducing further adsorption, and forming numerous micro electrolysis cells to promote the production of free radicals, thereby boosting TC mineralization. Finally, the high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer was applied to identify the transformation products and degradation pathways of TC. Additionally, the CBC still showed excellent catalytic degradation effect after being reused for 4 times. Therefore, this study makes it possible to prepare an efficient and low-cost electrocatalyst for the treatment of antibiotic wastewater, as well as for further understanding the electrocatalytic mechanism, conversion products, and degradation pathways of TC in wastewater.