Electrochemical Oxidation of Pharmaceuticals on a Pt–SnO2/Ti Electrode

Advances in Biological Wastewater Treatment Processes: Focus on Low-Carbon Energy and Resource Recovery in Biorefinery Context

Advancements in biological wastewater treatment with sustainable and circularity approaches have a wide scope of application. Biological wastewater treatment is widely used to remove/recover organic pollutants and nutrients from a diverse wastewater spectrum. However, conventional biological processes face challenges, such as low efficiency, high energy consumption, and the generation of excess sludge. To overcome these limitations, integrated strategies that combine biological treatment with other physical, chemical, or biological methods have been developed and applied in recent years. This review emphasizes the recent advances in integrated strategies for biological wastewater treatment, focusing on their mechanisms, benefits, challenges, and prospects. The review also discusses the potential applications of integrated strategies for diverse wastewater treatment towards green energy and resource recovery, along with low-carbon fuel production. Biological treatment methods, viz., bioremediation, electro-coagulation, electro-flocculation, electro-Fenton, advanced oxidation, electro-oxidation, bioelectrochemical systems, and photo-remediation, are summarized with respect to non-genetically modified metabolic reactions. Different conducting materials (CMs) play a significant role in mass/charge transfer metabolic processes and aid in enhancing fermentation rates. Carbon, metal, and nano-based CMs hybridization in different processes provide favorable conditions to the fermentative biocatalyst and trigger their activity towards overcoming the limitations of the conventional process. The emerging field of nanotechnology provides novel additional opportunities to surmount the constraints of conventional process for enhanced waste remediation and resource valorization. Holistically, integrated strategies are promising alternatives for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of biological wastewater treatment while also contributing to the circular economy and environmental protection.

An anode and cathode cooperative oxidation system constructed with Ee-GF as anode and CuFe2O4/Cu2O/Cu@EGF as cathode for the efficient removal of sulfamethoxazole

This study aimed to further improve the degradation efficiency of pollutants by electrochemical oxidation system and reduce the consumption of electric energy. A simple method of electrochemical exfoliation was used to modify graphite felt (GF) to prepare an anode material (Ee-GF) with high degradation performance. An anode and cathode cooperative oxidation system was constructed with Ee-GF as the anode and CuFe₂O₄/Cu₂O/Cu@EGF as the cathode to efficiently degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Complete degradation of SMX was achieved within 30 min. Compared with anodic oxidation system alone, the degradation time of SMX was reduced by half and the energy consumption was reduced by 66.8 %. The system displayed excellent performance for the degradation of different concentrations (10-50 mg L^-1) of SMX, different pollutants, and under different water quality conditions. In addition, the system still maintained 91.7 % removal rate of SMX after ten consecutive runs. At least 12 degradation products and seven possible degradation routes of SMX were generated in the degradation process by the combined system. The eco-toxicity of degradation products of SMX was reduced after the proposed treatment. This study provided a theoretical basis for the safe, efficient, and low energy consumption removal of antibiotic wastewater.

Electrochemical Oxidation of Anastrozole over a BDD Electrode: Role of Operating Parameters and Water Matrix

The electrochemical oxidation (EO) of the breast-cancer drug anastrozole (ANZ) is studied in this work. The role of various operating parameters, such as current density (6.25 and 12.5 mA cm−2), pH (3–10), ANZ concentration (0.5–2 mg L−1), nature of supporting electrolytes, water composition, and water matrix, have been evaluated. ANZ removal of 82.4% was achieved at 1 mg L−1 initial concentration after 90 min of reaction at 6.25 mA cm−2 and 0.1 M Na2SO4. The degradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics with the apparent rate constant, kapp, equal to 0.022 min−1. The kapp increases with increasing current density and decreasing solution pH. The addition of chloride in the range 0–250 mg L−1 positively affects the removal of ANZ. However, chloride concentrations above 250 mg L−1 have a detrimental effect. The presence of bicarbonate or organic matter has a slightly negative but not significant effect on the process. The EO of ANZ is compared to its degradation by solar photo-Fenton, and a preliminary economic analysis is also performed.

Current and Future Trends in Environmental Electrochemistry for Wastewater Treatment

In recent years, the demand for high-quality water has constantly been increasing, while at the same time, the legislations regarding wastewater reuse are becoming stricter [...]