Biochar Electrodes Research Articles

Fabrication of Pd/Sludge-biochar electrode with high electrochemical activity on reductive degradation of 4-chlorophenol in wastewater

Effective treatment and utilization of sludge contribute to achieve conventional carbon emission reduction and resource recovery, which is of great significance to realize carbon neutralization of WWTPs. Sludge carbonization derived biochar has attracted more interest because of high potential as catalytic materials. Therein, sludge-derived electrode exhibits a promising potential in the case of sludge utilization for electrocatalysis, however, electrocatalytic performance of the already reported sludge-derived electrode is unsatisfactory due to insufficient active sites. In this study, an efficient Pd/sludge-biochar loaded foam nickel (Pd-SAC@Ni) was successfully fabricated using simple pyrolysis and solidification method, and exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic performance for 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) degradation. Furthermore, the morphology, element distribution and crystal composition were characterized by SEM, EDS, XPS and XRD. The Pd-SAC@Ni electrode exhibited superior electrocatalytic performance than Ni, SAC@Ni, Pd–Ni electrodes. The reduction rate of 98.9% was achieved at current density of 5 mA cm−2, 4-CP concentration of 0.8 mM and initial pH of 7.0. Also, Pd-SAC@Ni electrode showed desirable reusability and achieved 98% of 4-CP removal after multiple runs of experiments. Moreover, the active hydrogen species (H*) generation capacity of electrodes was determined using tert-butanol (TBA) as trapping agent. The mechanism analysis demonstrated that direct reduction process and indirect reduction process both involved in the 4-CP degradation process, and their contribution were 19.5% and 80.5%, respectively. Then, the intermediates formed in the electrochemical degradation of 4-CP were revealed by HPLC and the plausible degradation pathway was proposed. This study provides a cost-effective approach for preparing sludge biochar electrode, and explored a novel way to promote resourceful utilization of sludge for carbon neutrality.

Potential of biochar derived from three biomass wastes as an electrode catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction

ABSTRACT Biochar is a porous carbonaceous material containing abundant redox functional groups and inorganic minerals, making it a potential electrode material. Nine electrodes were prepared with biochar produced from three different feedstocks at three pyrolysis temperatures, and their oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were investigated. The results showed that all biochar electrodes had certain electrocatalytic activity as their current density ranged from 0.26 to 2.17 mA cm−2, half-wave potential at 0.24–0.41 V, electron transfer number at 2.1–3.9, Rct at 9.2–61.2 Ω, and Cdl at 1.1 × 10−6 – 2.2 × 10−4 F. For most biochar electrodes, the current density and half-wave potential increased as the pyrolysis temperature increased from 500°C to 700°C, which was closely related to the increase in aromatization degree (H/C) of biochar. Dairy manure biochar showed much lower current density and half-wave potential than sewage sludge biochar and wood chip biochar, probably due to its relatively smaller surface area. This study indicated that biochars could be converted to carbon electrodes, and both feedstock and pyrolysis temperature could influence the ORR activity of biochar electrodes.

A Low Cost Fe3O4-Activated Biochar Electrode Sensor by Resource Utilization of Excess Sludge for Detecting Tetrabromobisphenol A.

Owing to its ubiquity in natural water systems and the high toxicity of its accumulation in the human body, it is essential to develop simple and low-cost electrochemical sensors for the determination of 3,3′,5,5′-tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). In this work, Fe3O4–activated biochar, which is based on excess sludge, was prepared and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET analysis to analyze its basic features. Subsequently, it was used to fabricate an electrochemical sensor for the detection of TBBPA. The electrochemical test results revealed that the Fe3O4–activated biochar film exhibited a larger active surface area, a lower charge transfer resistance and a higher accumulation efficiency toward TBBPA. Consequently, the peak current of TBBPA was significantly enhanced on the surface of the Fe3O4–activated biochar. The TBBPA sensing platform developed using the Fe3O4–activated biochar composite film, with relatively a lower detection limit (3.2 nM) and a wider linear range (5–1000 nM), was successfully utilized to determine TBBPA levels in water samples. In summary, the effective application of Fe3O4–activated biochar provided eco-friendly and sustainable materials for the development of a desirable high-sensitivity sensor for TBBPA detection.

Modeling and characterization of the biochar electrodes for vanadium redox flow battery

A three-dimensional transient model of a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) with biochar electrode was developed in this study. The model was built to simulate the microscopic particle accumulation that is applicable to the biochar electrode. The electrode assembly was constructed using the classical mass transfer theory of porous media. The charge/discharge curves, cell efficiency, local current density distribution and species concentration distribution at various moments of time were investigated using this model. The results showed that the particle accumulation model of biochar electrode is both a realistic and reasonable approximation of events in the electrode. Analysis of the charg/discharg process and electrochemical reaction rates in the cell found that when the average particle radius of 1 × 10−6 m, an electrode porosity of 0.3, an electrode thickness of 0.003 m and the average current density of 40 A/m2, the charging voltage of the battery was lower and the discharging voltage was higher.

Capacitive Deionization with Titania and Amine Modified Activated Biochar

Capacitive deionization based on electrosorption has become a viable process for brackish water desalination. In this study, activated biochar was employed as a low-cost carbon-based electrode material with comparable adsorption capacity to activated carbon and other biomass derived materials. Modification of the activated biochar was done by amine functional group grafting and metal oxide incorporation to improve ionic transport, and cation/anion selectivity, reducing the co-ion effect. Cation and anion selective electrodes were prepared by using titanium dioxide, and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) via diazonium salt activation. These modified biochar electrodes were physically characterized by SEM-EDX, TEM, XPS, and XRD. Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements, and impedance spectroscopy were performed to analyze the electrochemical property of both types of electrodes. This study investigated salt removal capacity of NaCl and NaF solutions using chloride and fluoride ion-selective electrode. Three different asymmetrical CDI cell designs (TB cathode – AmB anode, TB cathode – AcB anode, and AcB cathode – AmB anode) and two symmetrical cell designs AcB anode – AcB cathode and TB anode – TB cathode) were tested. Titania, amine, and activated biochar electrodes are denoted as TB, AmB, and AcB, respectively. It was found that a symmetric cell design with titania modified biochar electrodes show a 30% better removal capacity than the other cell designs. This work shows that biochar can be modified and explored broadly as an inexpensive alternative electrode material for capacitive deionization.

Sustainable phosphorus recovery from wastewater and fertilizer production in microbial electrolysis cells using the biochar-based cathode

Reducing the energy consumption and electrode cost for electrochemical recovery of phosphorus (P) from wastewater is crucial for the large-scale application. In this study, biochar electrodes were investigated as the low-cost cathode in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) and this P-enriched biochar electrode was directly retrieved as P fertilizer after wastewater treatment. The Fe2+ salt modified biochar significantly increased the electrochemical performance of MECs due to the improved electrical conductivity and cathodic activity. Compared to the pristine biochar cathode, the current density of the MEC increased from 16.8 ± 0.2 A/m3 to 20.7 ± 0.8 A/m3, and the P removal increased from 28.8% ± 1% to 62.4% ± 3.5%. The power consumption was 0.25 ± 0.01 kWh/kg P which was more than one order of magnitude lower than the previous report. It was also demonstrated that the P enriched biochar amended soil improved the Pakchoi cultivation.

A novel biochar electrode for efficient electroreduction of nitrate: Selective and regulation of halogen

A novel biochar electrode Bio-Fe3O4/CF used for electroreduction of nitrate was prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis method. The results showed that the growth of spherical Fe3O4 on the surface of smooth biochar can significantly increase the nitrate reduction rate. Besides, the presence of Cl and Br in the solution could promote the conversion of NH4+ to N2, thereby regulating the element nitrogen in the solution. Mechanistic analysis showed that the interconversion of Fe (II) and Fe (III) facilitates the transfer of electrons to nitrate. This study not only provides a biochar electrode material for the efficient removal of nitrate but also simply reveals regulation of halogen in solution, which provides a particular theoretical and data basis for nitrate removal.

Graphene-modified biochar anode on the electrical performance of MFC

Improving the power output and other power generation performance is the technical bottleneck restricting the industrial application of microbial fuel cell (MFC). Modification of the anode using nanomaterials can significantly increase the power output of MFC. The negatively charged characteristics of Rhodopseudomonas palustris was utilized to propose electroplating of graphene on the surface of biochar, and preparation of polyaniline (PANI) modified biochar electrode by in situ polymerization. Thus, a graphene oxide/polyaniline modified biochar (GO/PANI@Biochar) anode was prepared. Thus, compared the effects of GO/PANI@Biochar, biochar, traditional carbon cloth (CC), and graphite felt (GF) anodes on the power generation performance of MFC. The results showed that the contact angle θ of the new anode was as low as 0°. The biocompatibility is good, and a large number of electricity-producing microorganisms adhere to the surface of the anode material. The maximum power density of GO/PANI@Biochar anode MFC reached to 2025 mW/m2, which was 72.12% higher than that of unmodified biochar, and it was 3.5, 4.39 times that of traditional GF and CC. The maximum output voltage was 6.12% higher than before modification, 15.56% and 23.8% higher than traditional GF and CC anodes. GO/PANI@Biochar anode utilized the advantages of GO conductivity and biochar high biocompatibility effectively. The synergism of them can significantly improve the current and power density of MFC.

Functionalized biochar electrodes for asymmetrical capacitive deionization

Electrosorption-based capacitive deionization (CDI) has become a viable process for brackish water desalination. In this study, activated Douglas-fir biochar is used as a low-cost carbon-based alternative electrode with adsorption capacity comparable to activated carbon obtained from biomass precursors. Adding functional groups to the activated biochar enhanced salt removal capacity, providing cation and anion selectivity. The functionalized electrodes were prepared by Nafion and p-phenylenediamine treatment, respectively, which introduced sulfonate and amine functional groups to the electrode. These modification methods are versatile and can be easily performed without sophisticated laboratory environment. These modified biochar electrodes were characterized by SEM-EDX and XPS. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements were performed to analyze the electrochemical properties of both types of electrodes and the electrosorption capacity was evaluated in a 3D-printed capacitive deionization flow cell using a chloride ion-selective electrode. It was found that an asymmetrical cell with Nafion cathode and amine biochar anode increased removal capacity by 54% over the activated biochar symmetrical cell (identical anode and cathode), with 6.01 mg NaCl/g biochar at the symmetrical cell and 9.25 mg g−1 for the asymmetrical cell. This work shows that biochar can be engineered and explored broadly as an inexpensive sustainable electrode material for asymmetrical capacitive deionization.

One-Step Preparation of Biochar Electrodes and Their Applications in Sediment Microbial Electrochemical Systems

Biochar is a kind of carbon-rich material formed by pyrolysis of biomass at high temperature in the absence or limitation of oxygen. It has abundant pore structure and a large surface area, which could be considered the beneficial characteristics for electrodes of microbial electrochemical systems. In this study, reed was used as the raw material of biochar and six biochar-based electrode materials were obtained by three methods, including one-step biochar cathodes (BC 800 and BC 700), biochar/polyethylene composite cathodes (BP 5:5 and BP 6:4), and biochar/polyaniline/hot-melt adhesive composite cathode (BPP 5:1:4 and BPP 4:1:5). The basic physical properties and electrochemical properties of the self-made biochar electrode materials were characterized. Selected biochar-based electrode materials were used as the cathode of sediment microbial electrochemical reactors. The reactor with pure biochar electrode (BC 800) achieves a maximum output power density of 9.15 ± 0.02 mW/m2, which increases the output power by nearly 80% compared with carbon felt. When using a biochar/polyaniline/hot-melt adhesive (BPP 5:1:4) composite cathode, the output power was increased by 2.33 times. Under the premise of ensuring the molding of the material, the higher the content of biochar, the better the electrochemical performance of the electrodes. The treatment of reed powder before pyrolysis is an important factor for the molding of biochar. The one-step molding biochar cathode had satisfactory performance in sediment microbial electrochemical systems. By exploring the biochar-based electrode, waste biomass could be reused, which is beneficial for the environment.

Enhanced performance study of microbial fuel cell using waste biomass-derived carbon electrode

The microbial fuel cell (MFC) efficiency was assessed by using biochar electrode. Electrodes were made of silicon (Si0.4), zinc (Zn0.4), and copper (Cu0.4) in 40% proportions mixed with derived waste coconut shell (CS) biochar materials after the carbonization process. The specific surface area of CS-Si0.4 (0.1920 m2 g−1), CS-Zn0.4 (0.2025 m2 g−1), and CS-Cu0.4 (0.2532 m2 g−1) is higher when compared to Graphite Particle (GP) (0.2165 m2 g−1). Electrodes’ power production outputs were CS-Si0.4 ((19.22 ± 0.5) mW m−2), CS-Zn0.4 ((26.40 ± 0.6) mW m−2), and CS-Cu0.4 ((47.04 ± 0.5) mW m−2) similar to GP ((32 ± 0.5) mW m−2). Experimental results show that the CS-Cu0.4 electrode provides maximum power output and efficiency. The inclusion of metals will increase surface area of biochar electrodes, and it increases the microbial fuel cell efficiency. The CS-Cu0.4 electrodes are therefore feasible, biocompatible, and cost-effective for environmentally sustainable systems.

Green quaternary ammonium nitrogen functionalized mesoporous biochar for sustainable electro-adsorption of perchlorate

In this work, functional mesoporous bean dregs-based biochar electrodes were prepared by electrophoretic deposition for perchlorate (ClO4-) electro-sorption. We characterized the textural and electrochemical properties of the biochar and determined the kinetics of electro-adsorption. The results show that 15% concentration of ZnO nanoparticle modification is recommended to increase the mesoporous volume, specific surface area, hydrophilicity and conductivity of biochar materials. After betaine functionalization, the obtained biochar (BK-Z15%-N) possesses an excellent electrochemical performance with high current density, charging capacity, and low ohmic impedance. As expected, it presents an electro-adsorption capacity of 28.31 mg g-1 toward 20 mg L-1 ClO4- at 1 V, which is four times higher than that without voltage and much better than other electrodes in this study and most reported data. The electro-adsorption of ClO4- on BK-Z15%-N electrode fits the fractal model, which is a complex process controlled by the electrical force and independent of solution pH. BrO3- and Cl- are the most competitive anion to ClO4- electro-sorption. Notably, it maintains a sustainable electrochemical regeneration ability due to the reversible redox activity of quaternary amine groups. Therefore, this study offers a remarkable and reliable method for improving the electro-sorption performance of perchlorate.

Engineering porous biochar for capacitive fluorine removal

Chronic accumulation of fluoride (F−) threats human health and eventually brings about skeletal fluorosis, dental fluorosis and joint deformation, which has aroused global attention. As an emerging technique, electrosorption presented great potential in wastewater purification. The key role in electrosorption is the exploitation of economical, environmentally-friendly and efficient electrode material. Nowadays, many existing investigations on the preparation of porous carbon material focused on the introduction of extra dopant and activation reagent. However, the information concerning the preparation of pure porous biochar and the inherent environmental significance is neglected. Here, a win–win strategy, named conversion waste biomass into porous biochar, has been applied in capacitive fluorine removal. The results indicated that the capacity of porous biochar electrode was 1.28 mg/g, which was improved by 48.8% in contrast to activated carbon electrode. Furthermore, competition experiments revealed concentration-dependence interference in the present of foreign ions. Electrosorption cycle experiment manifested excellent stability of the biochar electrodes. The electrode was regenerated without consuming any chemicals and could produce current for energy recovery. More importantly, continuous-flow experiment showed that the removal efficiency of F− was 91.98% at the synthetic wastewater. High specific capacitance, low internal resistance and appropriate pore distribution were responsible for the F− removal mechanism. Overall, this work would pioneer a facile method in the preparation of low-price electrode material and their potential applications in environmental remediation.

Honeycomb-like carbon with tunable pore size from bio-oil for supercapacitor

Abstract As an emerging carbon precursor, bio-oil, consisting of numerous aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic carbon compounds, is the liquid derived from waste biomass pyrolysis. In this study, we adopt a facile and effective strategy with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as pore-adjusting agents, and coupled with chemical activation and Ni2+ catalyzed graphitization to prepare bio-oil derived hierarchical porous carbon. The mesopore size of carbon material can be controlled by the size of macromolecular polymers by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between CTAB micelles and the oxygen-containing groups contained in bio-oil. Furthermore, increasing the CTAB amount enlarges pore size distribution from microporosity dominated to a wide range of 2–32 nm with increased specific surface area from 775 to 1302 m2 g−1. The resulting honeycomb-like carbon exhibits high specific capacitance as well as superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability. This work is believed to inspire the practical application of bio-oil and open up a new possibility to the pore engineering of biochar electrodes for energy storage and conversion.

A “Seawater-in-Sludge” approach for capacitive biochar production via the alkaline and alkaline earth metals activation

Sewage sludge is a potential precursor for biochar production, but its effective utilization involves costly activation steps. To modify biochar properties while ensuring cost-effectiveness, we examined the feasibility of using seawater as an agent to activate biochar produced from sewage sludge. In our proof-of-concept study, seawater was proven to be an effective activation agent for biochar production, achieving a surface area of 480.3 m2/g with hierarchical porosity distribution. Benefited from our design, the catalytic effect of seawater increased not only the surface area but also the graphitization degree of biochar when comparing the pyrolysis of sewage sludge without seawater. This leads to seawater activated biochar electrodes with lower resistance, higher capacitance of 113.9 F/g comparing with control groups without seawater. Leveraging the global increase in the salinity of groundwater, especially in coastal areas, these findings provide an opportunity for recovering a valuable carbon resource from sludge.

Three-dimensional electrodes enhance electricity generation and nitrogen removal of microbial fuel cells.

One of the critical problems for practical application of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is the poor electron transfer between microbial cells and anode. Hence, good biocompatibility and high specific surface area of electrodes are indispensable for MFC scale-up. In this study, three-dimensional electrode MFC (3DEMFC) was developed by filling biochar between anode and cathode. Three types of biochar electrodes (biochar, biochar and zeolite mixture, and MgO-modified biochar) were employed, and the performance of 3DEMFCs treating nitrogen in wastewater was investigated. The results showed that the highest power density of MFCs was 4.45 ± 0.21Wm-3 achieved by 3DEMFC filled with MgO-modified biochar, and the overall power generation of 3DEMFCs (2.40 ± 0.28 ~ 4.45 ± 0.21Wm-3) was higher than that of MFC without biochar (1.31 ± 0.24Wm-3). The linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) results also demonstrated biochar addition to MFC was conducive to electron transfer between microbes and anode and MgO-modified biochar presented the highest coulombs transfer ability. Moreover, the highest removal efficiencies of ammonium, total nitrogen, and COD (93.6 ± 3.2%, 84.8 ± 2%, and 91.6 ± 1.3%, respectively) were achieved by 3DEMFC containing MgO-modified biochar, and simultaneous short-cut nitrification and denitrification were observed in MFCs. Furthermore, the SEM images displayed the bacteria adhesion on biochar and the biofilm dry weights of MgO-modified biochar after experiment was the highest of 103 ± 4mgg-1 among three kinds of biochar electrodes. Therefore, the power generation and nitrogen removal conspicuously enhanced in 3DEMFCs and biochar exhibited excellent biocompatibility and distinct electrochemical performance for MFC practical applications in wastewater treatment.

Reduced graphene oxide-modified biochar electrodes via electrophoretic deposition with high rate capability for supercapacitors

Wood-derived biochar is an attractive material for supercapcitor electrodes due to its natural hierarchical structure. To improve the conductivity of biochar, graphene oxide is electrophoretically deposited, followed by electrochemical reduction. The conductivity can be controlled by either changing the amount of reduced graphene oxide loading by using different concentrations of graphene oxide suspension or by reaching different reduction states by varying the electrochemical reduction potential. The pore structure is also investigated to evaluate the microstructure effect on the material’s capacitive behavior. A specific capacitance of 167 F g−1 is achieved after reduced graphene oxide deposition, which is 4.3 times higher than that of biochar without reduced graphene oxide. The reduced graphene oxide-modified biochar electrodes show a high rate capability retention of approximately 90% with current densities from 0.5 to 3.0 A g−1. Additionally, no degradation is observed after 10,000 charging–recharging cycles under 5.0 A g−1. As the conductivity of raw biochar is low, it has been modified by reduced graphene oxide through electrophoretic deposition and electrochemical reduction. As a result, the conductivity increases approximately 4 times, but the surface area and pore volume decrease because of pore blockage by graphene. Finally, the reduced graphene oxide-modified biochar electrode exhibits specific capacitance 4.3 times higher than that of raw biochar. The rate capability has also been improved due to the enhanced electron transportation.

Using Biochar and Coal as the Electrode Material for Supercapacitor Applications

Millet straw activated carbon (MAC) and anthracite coal activated carbon(AAC) was prepared by thermal modification with a mass ratio of 5:1 (KOH:C) for supercapacitor (SC). The BET specific surface area of MAC and AAC is 1264.8 m2/g and 1695.1 m2/g with the average pore size of 3.018 and 2.170 nm, respectively. In the cyclic voltammetry test, the area of CVs of MAC electrode is obviously larger than that of AAC, especially at 100 mV/s and 200 mV/s. The ESR (0.28Ω) of AAC electrode is more than 6.5 times that of MAC electrode (0.043Ω) in the EIS test. In the GCD test, the results illustrate each specific capacitance of the activated biochar electrode is larger than AAC electrode. At the current density of 0.2 A/g, the specific capacitance of MAC electrode is 144 F/g, while the AAC electrode is only 85.2 F/g. The MAC electrode also presents a stable cycling performance with 125% after 10,000 cycles at 0.5A/g which is 11% higher than 114% of AAC and remains 99.5% and 97.4% of coulombic efficiency because of MAC’s rich tube structures and fish-scale-like inner surface. These encouraging results all indicate that excellent electrode material for supercapacitors can be obtained by activating cheaper millet straw biochar.

Chemically-Activated Biochar from Ricinus communis L. Cake and Their Potential Applications for the Voltammetric Assessment of Some Relevant Environmental Pollutants

Biochar is a rich-carbon material highly functionalized, which allows the use as electrodes modifier for preconcentration and voltammetric determination of several species. This work describes a castor cake biochar production and chemical activation with different reaction conditions using HNO3 and/or H2O2. Biochar samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman and zeta potential. Carbon paste modified electrodes (CPME) have been constructed using different biochar samples to evaluate the adsorptive capacity for the spontaneous preconcentration and voltammetric determination of Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions, paraquat and methyl parathion pesticides. The activation treatments promoted modifications in the elemental, morphological and structural biochar characteristics. Activated biochar CPMEs showed increase in the current signal around 15 and 2.5 times higher than unmodified and precursor biochar electrode, respectively. N2 sample (HNO3, 60 °C for 3.0 h) presented the better response signals for all compounds. This was attributed to the more effective surface oxidation, promoting a high porosity, acid character and amount of acid functional groups. Besides that, this greater analytical response allows the CPME-N2 application as a passive sampler for the voltammetric determination of inorganic and organic contaminants for environmental management in aqueous matrices.

Synergistic adsorption and electrocatalytic reduction of bromate by Pd/N-doped loofah sponge-derived biochar electrode

In this work, a novel Pd/N-doped loofah sponge-derived biochar (Pd/NLSBC) material with three-dimensional (3D) network structure was prepared through the carbonization-impregnation method and applied as cathode for electrocatalytic bromate removal. The N-doped biochar not only increased the adsorption capacity of electrode, but also facilitated electron transfer, subsequently resulting in the high electrocatalytic activity for bromate removal. The results indicated higher bromate adsorption capacity of Pd/NLSBC electrode was favorable to the electrocatalytic bromate removal. The influences of significant operating factors including calcination temperature, initial solution pH, applied current intensity, and initial bromate concentration on electrocatalytic bromate removal were also optimized. Under the current intensity of 10 mA, Pd/NLSBC-800 exhibited the highest bromate removal efficiency (96.7 %) and the bromide conversion rate reached almost 100 % at the initial bromate concentration of 0.781 μmol L−1. This process could be effectively performed over a wide range of pH (2.0–9.0) and be well fitted to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model under different conditions. The reaction mechanism study indicated that both direct electron transfer and indirect reduction by the active hydrogen atom (H*) contributed to the elctrocatalytic bromate removal. Meanwhile, Pd/NLSBC-800 electrode could maintain its high electrocatalytic activity for bromate removal after five cycles.