Efficient degradation of carbamazepine using a modified nickel-foam cathode (Ni-FM/CNTs) in penetrating electro-Fenton process

A modified nickel-foam (Ni-FM) cathode coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-FM/CNTs) was synthesized for carbamazepine (CBZ) highly energy-efficient degradation in penetrating electro-Fenton. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) test proves that multi-walled CNTs were successfully coated on the surface of nickel foam. The linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) results revealed the greater electrochemical activity of Ni-FM/CNTs compared to Ni-FM. The H2O2 accumulation performance tests showed that Ni-FM/CNTs cathode had higher H2O2 accumulation performance than Ni-FM cathode, and the H2O2 yield of Ni-FM/CNTs was 5.7 times higher than that of Ni-FM after 1 h of electrolysis. The reaction rate of CBZ degradation in penetrating electro-Fenton process was 2.5 times that of planar electro-Fenton process because the flow-through process enhanced O2 mass transfer and promoted the production of H2O2. The Box-Behnken Design response surface method was used to analyze the factors affecting the degradation efficiency of CBZ in the penetrating electro-Fenton process. The CBZ degradation efficiency could reach 100%, and electric energy consumption was 0.4356 Wh/L at current density of 9 mA/cm2, pH = 3, concentration of Fe2+ was 0.3 mM, and the through-flow velocity of 60 mL/min. The quenching experiment and EPR test results confirmed the degradation of CBZ was mainly the oxidation of·OH, and O2-·is the prerequisite for the production of·OH. Eight possible degradation products of CBZ degradation were identified and the probable degradation route was proposed. The ECOSAR program was used to predict the toxicities of CBZ and its degradation products, and the consequences revealed that the electro-Fenton process has a detoxification effect on CBZ, but may also produce more toxic organic compounds than the parent compound.