Converting hazardous organics into clean energy using a solar responsive dual photoelectrode photocatalytic fuel cell

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 262; pp. 304 - 310
• Main Authors: Li, Jianyong, Li, Jinhua, Chen, Quanpeng, Bai, Jing, Zhou, Baoxue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15.11.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Azo dye; azo dyes; Catalysis; Catalytic reactions; Chemical engineering; Chemistry; Cu2O Nanowire array; electricity; Electrodes; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc; Exact sciences and technology; Fuel cells; General and physical chemistry; Hazardous Substances - chemistry; methyl orange; methylene blue; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Organic Chemicals - chemistry; phenol; Photocatalytic degradation; Photocatalytic fuel cell; pollutants; Pollution; Reactors; renewable energy sources; Solar Energy; solar radiation; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; TiO2 Nanotube array; TiO2 Nanotube array; PBS; Photocatalytic degradation; Cu2O Nanowire array; Photocatalytic fuel cell; STNA; Azo dye; TNA; PFC; VB; MTNA; CB; O Nanowire array; Nanotube array; Pollutant behavior; Bias; Photocatalysis; Density; Modeling; Design; Pollutant; Pollution; Cu; Phenols; TiO; Titanium oxide; Solar radiation; Catalyst; Fuel cell; Photochemical degradation; medium TiO nanotube arrays; short TiO nanotube arrays; CuO Nanowire array; TiO Nanotube array; conduction band; TiO nanotube arrays; valence band; phosphate buffered saline
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.08.066

•A dual photoelcetrode PFC for converting hazardous organics into electricity.•The PFC possesses high cell performance operating in various model compounds.•Parameters were studied for optimization of the PFC performance.•Significant removal rate of chroma was observed in azo dyes solutions. Direct discharging great quantities of organics into water-body not only causes serious environmental pollution but also wastes energy sources. In this paper, a solar responsive dual photoelectrode photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC2) based on TiO2/Ti photoanode and Cu2O/Cu photocathode was designed for hazardous organics treatment with simultaneous electricity generation. Under solar irradiation, the interior bias voltage produced for the Fermi level difference between photoelectrodes drives photoelectrons of TiO2/Ti photoanode to combine with photoholes of Cu2O/Cu photocathode through external circuit thus generating electricity. In the meantime, organics are decomposed by photoholes remained at TiO2/Ti photoanode. By using various hazardous organics including azo dyes as model pollutants, the PFC showed high converting performance of organics into electricity. For example, in 0.05M phenol solution, a short-circuit current density 0.23mAcm−2, open-circuit voltage 0.49V, maximum power output 0.3610−4Wcm−2 was achieved. On the other hand, removal rate of chroma reached 67%, 87% and 63% in 8h for methyl orange, methylene blue, Congo red, respectively.