Sonoelectrochemical degradation of ciprofloxacin in water on a Ti/BaTiO3 electrode

Abstract

We report the sonoelectrochemical degradation of ciprofloxacin in water using BaTiO3 supported on a titanium sheet electrode (Ti/BaTiO3). BaTiO3 nanoparticle was synthesized and characterized with X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). Ti/BaTiO3 electrode was fabricated by drop-drying a slurry of BaTiO3 on an etched titanium sheet. Electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to determine the current response as a function of the induced polarization within the BaTiO3 crystal. The sonocurrent response of the electrode was improved and the impedance was lowered as the applied ultrasound power was increased from 20 W to 40 W. The application of the fabricated electrode for sonoelectrochemical (SEC) degradation of ciprofloxacin in synthetic and real wastewater samples were carried out for 180 min. A degradation efficiency of 68.42% was at 40 W ultrasound power, 2.0 V bias potential and 10 mm electrode-probe distance. Furthermore, the mineralization percentages of 49.63% and 30.74% were obtained for total organic carbon removal in synthetic wastewater and real wastewater, respectively. A positive synergy obtained reveals that Ti/BaTiO3 electrode is effective and suitable for sonoelectrochemical removal of pharmaceutical pollutants in water.