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Paracetamol removal / %
Enhanced electrochemical degradation of acetaminophen in
aqueous environments at oxygen-activated carbon felt anodes
Paweł Jakóbczyk1,2, Grzegorz Skowierzak3, Iwona Kaczmarzyk1, Małgorzata Nadolska1, Anna Wcisło3,
Katarzyna Lota4, Robert Bogdanowicz1, Tadeusz Ossowski2,3, Paweł Rostkowski5, Grzegorz Lota4, Jacek Ryl1
Introduction
Advanced oxidative modification processes (thermal, chemical, and plasma-chemical) were applied to carbon felt anodes to
enhance their efficiency towards electro-oxidation, aiming to obtain increased kinetics of acetaminophen degradation rate.
Carbon felts (CFEs) were selected due to low cost, good thermal, mechanical and chemical stability and excellent electrical
condictivity [1,2]. The utilised oxidation techniques deliver straightforward, eco-friendly, physiochemical reformation of CFEs [3].
Acknowledgments:
This research was supported by The National Centre for Research and
Development in the framework of NOR/POLNOR/i-CLARE/0038/2019
www.iclare.eu
Conclusions References:
[1] R.E.G. Smith et al., J. Electroanal. Chem. 747 (2015) 29
[2] T.X. Huong et al., Carbon 122 (2017) 564
[3] P. Jakóbczyk et al., Chemosphere. 304 (2022) 135381
[4] G. Hilt, ChemElectroChem, 7 (2020) 395
[5] Y. Liu et al., Environ. Sci. Technol., 53 (2019) 5195
[6] A. Xue et al., Chemosphere 141 (2015) 120
[7] M. Zhu et al., J. Hazard. Mater. 413 (2021) 125438
➢Plasma and chemical treatments improve electrocatalytic performance the most, due to the
appearance of oxygen-rich surface terminal carbonyl and carboxyl species [6,7];
➢The enhancement originates from increased surface wetting, electrochemical window and higher
oxygen evolution potentials, rather than development of the electrochemical surface area;
➢Carbonyl species are also formed at pristine CFE surface during the electro-oxidation process;
➢Acetaminophen removal follows a heterogeneous electro-oxidation mechanism, formation
of hydroxyl radicals to be the driving force for the most effective plasma-chemical CFE modification.
CFE modification
Electro-oxidation efficiency and mechanism
Experimental
CFEs 5 x 6 cm, 4 mm thick, flow rate 450 mL/min
Galvanostatic (200 mA) treatment for 240 min [4]
1) Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
2) Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Poland
3) University of Gdańsk, Poland
4) Łukasiewicz Research Network –Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, Poland
5) NILU-Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Norway
presenting author: jacek.ryl@pg.edu.pl
CFE unmodified
CFE_250T 250oC, 2h, air
CFE_500T 500oC, 2h, air
CFE_HOOH 30% H2O2, 1h
CFE_APS 2M NH4S2O8, 1h
CFE_pO2
Plasma
O2
, 10 min
CFE modifications
CFE
500T
CFE
CFE
pO2
CFE
APS
1,4-benzoquinone hydroquinone p-aminophenol p-nitrophenol
Relative response
Main transformation products
t=0 min
t=3 min
t=15 min
t=30min
t=45 min
Detection based on HPLC-UV-Vis,
confirmed with DPV, CV and UV-Vis
Electrode
Paracetamol%
after 240min
removal
eff
.
kWh
/m3
%
CFE 16.1 0.09
CFE_250T
27.4 0.11
CFE_500T
17.1 0.09
CFE_HOOH
8.3 0.08
CFE_APS 13.4 0.10
CFE_pO2 0.1 0.07
Highest hydrophobicity:
pristine and temperature-
treated.
Plasma-treated with high
droplet volume absorption
500C: hydroxyls
H2O2: C=O species
Plasma: C=O, OC=O
Surface chemistry
affects oxygen
evolution overpotentials
Prolonged electro-
oxidation leads to similar
surface chemistry changes
CFE
pO2
CFE
HOOH
CFE
500T
CFE
CFE
EO
Paracetamol removal / %
tert-Butyl alcohol [5]
UHPLC-Orbitrap-HRAM-MS
Voltage changes affected by water
sorption, transition depends on
surface area (BET isotherms)
Electro-oxidation
transition
0.5 M Na2SO4
[3]