Boron-doped diamond electrodes for the mineralization of organic pollutants in the real wastewater

The presence of recalcitrant organic compounds in wastewater poses a serious threat to the ecosystem and human health. Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes constitute a promising way for the mineralization of persistent organic compounds. They are commonly used for the transformation of organic pollutants into more biodegradable compounds or their complete removal from water. In this review, we present the recent advances in the use of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes in the anodic oxidation process for the mineralization of real wastewater. First, the characteristic properties of BDD electrodes are discussed followed by the degradation mechanism. In addition, an overview on the application of BDD electrodes for mineralization of real wastewater is provided.     

Influence of reactor design on the electrochemical oxidation and disinfection of wastewaters using boron-doped diamond electrodes

Electrochemical oxidation is the most popular electrochemical advanced oxidation process within the scientific community owing to its simplicity and high effectiveness to treat different wastewaters. Electrode material and reactor design are important factors that influence the removal efficiency of pollutants. This work presents an overview of recent applications of electrochemical oxidation process for contaminant mineralization and water disinfection using electrochemical reactors, in batch and continuous mode of operation, fitted with boron-doped diamond electrodes. In addition, recent advances in the use of flow-through reactors (continuous single-pass and recirculation) are presented. Geometrical aspects, operating conditions, and energy consumption are provided and discussed.     

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 and degradation of KHP on boron-doped diamond electrodes in a simultaneous and enhanced process

A BDD-BDD system was developed in the simultaneous conversion of CO₂ and wastewater purification in one electrochemical cell.     

Diamond electrode facilitated electrosynthesis of water and wastewater treatment oxidants

While diamond electrodes have been commonly used to generate ^?OH to treat a variety of persistent water and wastewater micropollutants, mass transfer limitations and the non-selective, short-lived nature of the ^?OH restrict the degradation to the solution at, or near, the electrode surface. However, diamond electrodes can generate oxidizing species that facilitate micropollutant degradation in the bulk water solution. These include persulfate, sulfate radicals, peroxodiphosphate, ferrate, permanganate, reactive chlorine species, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone, which have been reported during electrochemical treatment of water with diamond electrodes. Although still restricted to specialized applications, recent studies, summarized in this review, have proven the electrogeneration of these additional oxidant species to be effective. They have shown the adaptability and potential of diamond electrode-based water treatment to mitigate the presence of micropollutants in water.     

Application of boron-doped diamond electrodes for electrochemical oxidation of real wastewaters

Recently, the synthesis of boron-doped diamond electrodes on different substrates and shapes have reached a promising development stage. Now, these electrodes can also be effectively used to destroy toxic or biorefractory organics in real effluents, such as municipal wastewaters effluents, hospital wastewaters, groundwater, petrochemical effluent, wastewaters from agri–food activities, and so on. The results of this mini-review show that BDD is effectively even for such real effluents, allowing the removal of pollutants under several different conditions. Nevertheless, further efforts are necessary to reach a wider market; in particular, the next stages must face the optimization of cell design and the integration of the electrochemical system with other water treatment and renewable energy sources.     

Direct electrochemical assay of glucose using boron-doped diamond electrodes

We report linear sweep and square wave voltammetric studies on glucose oxidation at boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes in an alkaline medium in efforts to evaluate the techniques for electrochemically assaying glucose. The bare BDD electrode showed good linear responses to glucose oxidation for a concentration range from 0.5 to 10 mM glucose, which well encompasses the physiological range of 3-8 mM. The BDD electrodes did not experience interferences from ascorbic acid or uric acid during glucose detection. This method, when applied to real blood samples, gave results similar to those obtained by a commercial glucose monitor.     

Aliphatic polyamine oxidation response variability and stability at boron-doped diamond thin-film electrodes as studied by flow-injection analysis

Previously it was shown that four different aliphatic polyamines can be quantitatively electrooxidized at boron-doped diamond thin film electrodes without derivatization or the use of pulsed voltammetric waveforms [Anal. Chem. 71 (1999) 1188; Anal. Chem. 69 (1997) 4041]. The flow injection analysis (FIA-EC) investigation (amperometric detection mode) of cadaverine (CAD), putrescine (PUT), spermine (SPM) and spermidine (SPMD), reported previously [Anal. Chem. 71 (1999) 1188], are updated herein with particular emphasis on the electrode response variability and stability. Most of the measurements were made with a film deposited from a 0.50% methane-to-hydrogen (C/H) volumetric ratio. In general, films deposited with C/H ratios near this value tend to possess the requisite physicochemical properties to support anodic oxygen transfer reactions. The electrode performance was evaluated in terms of the linear dynamic range, limit of quantitation, response variability and response stability. A linear dynamic range from 1.0 μM to 1.0 mM and a limit of quantitation of 1.0 μM or 20 pmol injected (S/N≥3) were found for CAD, PUT, and SPMD. For SPM, a linear dynamic range from 0.32 μM to 1.0 mM and a limit of quantitation of 0.32 μM or 6.4 pmol were observed. The response variability, as low as 2–4%, was observed which is vastly improved over previous results. The improvement was achieved by introducing a 3–6 min delay period between injections. The long-term response stability was good with no evidence for any progressive response attenuation or complete fouling by the reaction product, even though a solid deposit was observed to accumulate on the electrode surface with extended use. The deposit appears to partially reduce the active electrochemical area for polyamine oxidation and to decrease the overpotential for water discharge. Preliminary chromatographic results demonstrated the possibility of separating and detecting the polyamines by a simple reverse-phase scheme at constant applied potential.     

The application of boron-doped diamond electrodes in amperometric biosensors

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes outperform conventional electrodes in terms of high stability, chemical inertness, wide potential window and low background current. Combining the superior properties of BDD electrodes with the merits of biosensors, such as specificity, sensitivity, and fast response, amperometric biosensors based on BDD electrodes have attracted the interests of many researchers. In this review, the latest advances of BDD electrodes with different surfaces including hydrogen-terminated, oxygen-terminated, metal nanoparticles-modified, amine-terminated, and carboxyl-terminated thin films, and microelectrodes, for the construction of various biosensors or the direct detection of biomolecules were demonstrated. The future trends of BDD electrodes in biosensing were also discussed.     

Microwave-enhanced electro-deposition and stripping of palladium at boron-doped diamond electrodes

In situ microwave activation has been applied to the electro-deposition and stripping of palladium metal (which is widely used as a catalyst) at cavitation resistant boron-doped diamond electrodes. Focused microwave radiation leading to heating, boiling, and cavitation is explored as an option to improve the speed and sensitivity of the analytical detection procedure. The deposition and anodic stripping of palladium by linear sweep voltammetry in 0.1 M KCl (pH 2) solution and at boron-doped diamond electrodes is shown to be strongly enhanced by microwave activation due to both (i) the increase in mass transport and (ii) the increase in the kinetic rate of deposition and stripping.The temperature at the electrode surface is calibrated with the reversible redox couple Fe(CN)₆⁴⁻/Fe(CN)₆³⁻ and found to be reach 380 K. In the presence of microwave radiation, the potential of onset of the deposition of palladium is strongly shifted positive from −0.4 to +0.1 V versus SCE. The optimum potential for deposition in the presence of microwaves is −0.4 V versus SCE and the anodic stripping peak current is shown to increase linearly with deposition time. Under these conditions, the stripping peak current varies linearly with the palladium concentration down to ca. 2 μM. At concentration lower than this a logarithmic variation of the stripping peak current with concentration is observed down to ca. 0.1 μM (for 5 min pre-concentration in presence of microwave radiation).     

Effect of the mediator in feedback mode-based SECM interrogation of indium tin-oxide and boron-doped diamond electrodes

Indium tin-oxide (ITO) and polycrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) have been examined in detail using the scanning electrochemical microscopy technique in feedback mode. For the interrogation of electrodes made from these materials, the choice of mediator has been varied. Using ferrocene methanol (FcMeOH), and approach curve experiments have been performed, and for purposes of comparison, calculations of the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rates (k _app) have been made using these data. In general, it would appear that values of k _app are affected mainly by the position of the mediator reversible potential relative to the relevant semiconductor band edge (associated with majority carriers). For both the ITO (n type) and BDD (p type) electrodes, charge transfer is impeded and values are very low when using FcMeOH and as mediators, and the use of results in the largest value of k _app. With ITO, the surface is chemically homogeneous and no variation is observed for any given mediator. Data is also presented where the potential of the ITO electrode is fixed using a ratio of the mediators and In stark contrast, the BDD electrode is quite the opposite and a range of k _app values are observed for all mediators depending on the position on the surface. Both electrode surfaces are very flat and very smooth, and hence, for BDD, variations in feedback current imply a variation in the electrochemical activity. A comparison of the feedback current where the substrate is biased and unbiased shows a surprising degree of proportionality.Dedicated to Alan, a good friend and colleague on his 60th birthday.     

Electro catalytic generation of reactive species at diamond electrodes and applications in microbial inactivation

Use of robust and safe water disinfection technologies which are inexpensive and energy-efficient are need of the hour to combat the problem of inadequate access of safe and clean drinking water. Energy and chemically intensive water treatment technologies warrant the need for a safe and environmentally sound treatment technology. Electrochemical disinfection or electrodisinfection (ED) is experiencing a great resurgence among the scientific communities owing to its novel use of electrode materials and electric current in an inexpensive and energy-efficient way for achieving the inactivation of microorganisms. Among the various electrodes used in the ED, boron-doped diamonds emerge as a sustainable alternate for their ability to electro generate strong potent oxidants which result in effective pathogen control in drinking water. ED for disinfecting waters occurs via generation of the reactive species which act in the bacterial inactivation mechanisms. In this mini-review, a critical discussion on the fundamentals and applications of promising electrochemical methods using boron-doped diamond anodes (namely electrochemical oxidation), evidencing their advantages for the remediation of drinking water infected with waterborne agents, is given.     

全氟/多氟化合物分析方法的研究进展

随着全氟和多氟化合物(perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFASs)被列入《斯德哥尔摩公约》的持久性有机污染物名录,各国对于该类物质的关注逐步升高。该类物质在环境中的广泛检出,使得其环境行为研究不断扩展和加深。目前,针对不同类型PFASs的样品前处理方式与检测方法也在不断发展中,而从中选择最合适的前处理和分析方法是开展PFASs环境科学、管理和污染控制研究的前提。该文针对传统PFASs及其异构体、PFASs前体物和新型PFASs等的样品前处理方法、色谱-质谱分析方法进行归纳总结,认识其现状和问题,并在此基础上对其发展进行了展望。     

Parametric study for the treatment of tannery dye wastewater by electro-oxidation

Degradation of tannery effluents is a difficult operation because of their intricate chemical structures. Most of the conventional approaches are becoming ineffective because of the wide variation in the composition of tannery effluent. Dyes from the wastewater is also dangerous, as the wastewater has negative impact on the health of human being, plants and aquatic animals. For the first time once through continuous approach was employed for the removal of Acid yellow 110 tannery dye in electro-oxidation process on Mix Metal Oxide of ruthenium and iridium on titanium sheet electrode. The effects of pH, time (t) and current (i) on % color removal and energy consumed were investigated in a batch setup and found the optimum condition with the help of RSM design. The values of the responses Y₁ and Y₂ were found to be 93.08% and 1.07 kWh/m³ respectively at the optimum condition. Toxicity Bioassay analysis, GC-MS analysis and the kinetic study were performed at optimum condition. At the flow rates of 10–40 ml/min once through continuous experiments was conducted to found the feasibility of the process at pilot scale or industrial scale application.     

Electroanalytical investigation and determination of pefloxacin in pharmaceuticals and serum at boron-doped diamond and glassy carbon electrodes

The anodic behavior and determination of pefloxacin on boron-doped diamond and glassy carbon electrodes were investigated using cyclic, linear sweep, differential pulse and square wave voltammetric techniques. In cyclic voltammetry, pefloxacin shows one main irreversible oxidation peak and additional one irreversible ill-defined wave depending on pH values for both electrodes. The results indicate that the process of pefloxacin is irreversible and diffusion controlled on boron-doped diamond electrode and irreversible but adsorption controlled on glassy carbon electrode. The peak current is found to be linear over the range of concentration 2 × 10⁻⁶ to 2 × 10⁻⁴ M in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ at about +1.20 V (versus Ag/AgCl) for differential pulse and square wave voltammetric technique using boron-doped diamond electrode. The repeatability, reproducibility, precision and accuracy of the methods in all media were investigated. Selectivity, precision and accuracy of the developed methods were also checked by recovery studies. The procedures were successfully applied to the determination of the drug in pharmaceutical dosage forms and humans serum samples with good recovery results. No electroactive interferences from the excipients and endogenous substances were found in the pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological samples, respectively.     

On-site monitoring of trace levels of free manganese in sea water via sonoelectroanalysis using a boron-doped diamond electrode

Cathodic stripping voltammetry at a boron-doped diamond electrode utilising an insonated accumulation protocol is shown to be possible for the on-site trace detection of free manganese in seawater samples. No sample pre-treatment is required with the application of ultrasound providing a sensitive and selective protocol for the analysis of manganese. The protocol is used in the evaluation of manganese in seawater samples taken near the site of a former ferromanganese factory in the town Šibenik, Croatia.     

Method optimization for determination of selected perfluorinated alkylated substances in water samples

In recent years perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) have appeared as a new class of global pollutant. Besides being an industrially important group of compounds, PFAS are regarded as highly toxic and extraordinarily persistent chemicals that pervasively contaminate human blood and wildlife throughout the world. They are therefore regarded as PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic) chemicals. Two comprehensive methods have been developed for determination of eleven of the most environmentally relevant PFAS (seven perfluoroalkylcarboxylates, two perfluoroalkylsulfonates, and two perfluoroctanesulfonamides) in aqueous samples. The compounds were isolated by liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE), and identification and quantification of the target analytes were achieved by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS–MS). With LLE detection limits ranged from 0.26 to 0.62 ng L⁻¹ for enrichment of 900-mL water samples; recovery of PFAS with a carbon chain longer than C₇ was excellent (80–93%). With SPE, carboxylates with carbon chains <C₁₀ could be extracted efficiently (70–98%) under acidic conditions, and PFOS and PFOSA could be extracted efficiently (81% and 96%, respectively) under basic conditions, resulting in MDLs between 0.25 and 0.64 ng L⁻¹. The LLE method was applied successfully to Austrian wastewater effluent samples.     

Circumneutral electrosynthesis of ferrate oxidant: An emerging technology for small,remote and decentralised water treatment applications

Although sophisticated water treatment technologies exist, the transportation, storage, and safe handling of chemical supplies can present major challenges for small and remote communities, putting the security of their access to potable water at risk. In-situ electrochemical methods can remove the need for chemical additives by generating reactive species on demand from the constituents of raw waters. This paper is a concise review of current literature concerning the advancement of in-situ technologies for the electrosynthesis of ferrate, which is a high-valent, strongly oxidising and environmentally benign species of iron. Synthesis mechanisms and operational parameters influencing generation in circumneutral conditions are discussed, as well as the viability of strategies to address the challenges presented by standards for drinking water and materials for constructing electrodes.     

Metal ion analysis in contaminated water samples using anodic stripping voltammetry and a nanocrystalline diamond thin-film electrode

Boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond thin-film electrodes were employed for the detection and quantification of Ag (I), Cu (II), Pb (II), Cd (II), and Zn (II) in several contaminated water samples using anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV). Diamond is an alternate electrode that possesses many of the same attributes as Hg and, therefore, appears to be a viable material for this electroanalytical measurement. The nanocrystalline form has been found to perform slightly better than the more conventional microcrystalline form of diamond in this application. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPASV) was used to detect these metal ions in lake water, well water, tap water, wastewater treatment sludge, and soil. The electrochemical results were compared with data from inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) and or atomic absorption spectrometric (AAS) measurements of the same samples. Diamond is shown to function well in this electroanalytical application, providing a wide linear dynamic range, a low limit of quantitation, excellent response precision, and good response accuracy. For the analysis of Pb (II), bare diamond provided a response nearly identical to that obtained with a Hg-coated glassy carbon electrode.