A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water

A new photoelectrocatalytic water purification system was investigated by combining photocatalysis and electrochemistry. This configuration achieves simultaneous removal of both organic compounds and inorganic heavy metal ions from water by taking a carbon electrode as the working electrode and anot...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Peng Zhou, Yingming Xu, Tianhong Cui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025-01-01
Series:Research
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0654
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849725660321284096
author Peng Zhou
Yingming Xu
Tianhong Cui
author_facet Peng Zhou
Yingming Xu
Tianhong Cui
author_sort Peng Zhou
collection DOAJ
description A new photoelectrocatalytic water purification system was investigated by combining photocatalysis and electrochemistry. This configuration achieves simultaneous removal of both organic compounds and inorganic heavy metal ions from water by taking a carbon electrode as the working electrode and another electrode coated with a photocatalyst as the counter electrode. A negative bias potential is imparted onto the working electrode to induce the reduction of heavy metal ions, whereas the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants on the counter electrode is amplified via the transfer of photoexcited electrons from the counter electrode to the working electrode. Evaluations conducted in bulk solutions demonstrated that photoelectrocatalysis surpassed photocatalysis by yielding an organic matter degradation efficiency 2.3 times higher, successfully degrading 98% of a 10 μM methylene blue solution within 2 h. Simultaneously, the system realized the recovery of heavy metal ions, including copper, lead, and cadmium. This new photoelectrocatalytic water purification system was further integrated with microchannels, and the testing data affirm the substantial potential for system miniaturization.
format Article
id doaj-art-ff87d46bb92a45a78b7787e25c73fd69
institution DOAJ
issn 2639-5274
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
record_format Article
series Research
spelling doaj-art-ff87d46bb92a45a78b7787e25c73fd692025-08-20T03:10:24ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742025-01-01810.34133/research.0654A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in WaterPeng Zhou0Yingming Xu1Tianhong Cui2Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.A new photoelectrocatalytic water purification system was investigated by combining photocatalysis and electrochemistry. This configuration achieves simultaneous removal of both organic compounds and inorganic heavy metal ions from water by taking a carbon electrode as the working electrode and another electrode coated with a photocatalyst as the counter electrode. A negative bias potential is imparted onto the working electrode to induce the reduction of heavy metal ions, whereas the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants on the counter electrode is amplified via the transfer of photoexcited electrons from the counter electrode to the working electrode. Evaluations conducted in bulk solutions demonstrated that photoelectrocatalysis surpassed photocatalysis by yielding an organic matter degradation efficiency 2.3 times higher, successfully degrading 98% of a 10 μM methylene blue solution within 2 h. Simultaneously, the system realized the recovery of heavy metal ions, including copper, lead, and cadmium. This new photoelectrocatalytic water purification system was further integrated with microchannels, and the testing data affirm the substantial potential for system miniaturization.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0654
spellingShingle Peng Zhou
Yingming Xu
Tianhong Cui
A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water
Research
title A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water
title_full A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water
title_fullStr A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water
title_full_unstemmed A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water
title_short A New Photoelectrocatalytic Water Purification System for Simultaneous Removal of Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metal Ions in Water
title_sort new photoelectrocatalytic water purification system for simultaneous removal of organic pollutants and heavy metal ions in water
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0654
work_keys_str_mv AT pengzhou anewphotoelectrocatalyticwaterpurificationsystemforsimultaneousremovaloforganicpollutantsandheavymetalionsinwater
AT yingmingxu anewphotoelectrocatalyticwaterpurificationsystemforsimultaneousremovaloforganicpollutantsandheavymetalionsinwater
AT tianhongcui anewphotoelectrocatalyticwaterpurificationsystemforsimultaneousremovaloforganicpollutantsandheavymetalionsinwater
AT pengzhou newphotoelectrocatalyticwaterpurificationsystemforsimultaneousremovaloforganicpollutantsandheavymetalionsinwater
AT yingmingxu newphotoelectrocatalyticwaterpurificationsystemforsimultaneousremovaloforganicpollutantsandheavymetalionsinwater
AT tianhongcui newphotoelectrocatalyticwaterpurificationsystemforsimultaneousremovaloforganicpollutantsandheavymetalionsinwater