PREPARATION OF COPPER NANOPARTICLES ONTO COPPER SHEETS AND ELECTROCATALYTIC APPLICATION IN WATER DE-NITRATION
Loading...
Date
2024-04-01
Authors
Hijazi, Samaa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
An-Najah National University
Abstract
The issue of water contamination, specifically with nitrate ions, is a growing concern on global and Palestinian levels. This pertains to both groundwater and surface water sources. The escalation in nitrate pollution can be attributed to the excessive and improper utilization of chemicals as a consequence of human activities. The utilization of electrochemical reduction of nitrate presents a viable method for addressing this issue. The key goal of this study is to enhance the removal of nitrate by highly selective electroreduction to N2. The aforementioned objective is accomplished through the alteration of an inexpensive, reliable, and durable electrode that exhibits exceptional efficiency in nitrate reduction. The bench-scale undivided electrochemical cell was utilized in the potentiostatic mode, aiming to obtain reduced power consumption. The experimental setup consisted of three distinct electrodes: a reference electrode known as the saturated calomel electrode (SCE), a counter electrode in the form of a platinum (Pt) sheet, and one of the newly modified electrodes served as the working electrode. Customized electrodes comprise Cu@Cu modified by electrodeposition of Cu nanoparticles on a chemically pure Cu sheet, FeCl3 chemically etched copper electrodes, and copper sheets modified by graphene. The graphene modification was eliminated due to several reasons that will be discussed later. The electrodes underwent characterization through the utilization of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Among the studied electrodes, the copper nanoparticle electrodeposited electrode (Cu@Cu-1) results displayed the most significant nitrate conversion rate, reaching 92.3% and 85.05% selectivity towards N2 gas within a time frame of 420 minutes. Furthermore, the kinetics associated with the electrochemical reduction of nitrate via the Cu@Cu-1 electrode was examined through the use of the initial rate method. The investigation revealed a reaction rate order of 0.85. Additionally, the rate constant was determined by analyzing the intercept of the plot that is equal to ln k, from which k was found to = 1.39 × 〖10〗^(-2) min-1.