The
direct conversion of SO2 to SO3 is rather
difficult for flue gas desulfurization due to its inert dynamic with
high reaction activation energy, and the absorption by wet limestone-gypsum
also needs the forced oxidation of O2 to oxidize sulfite
to sulfate, which is necessary for additional aeration. Here, we propose
a method to remove SO2 with highly synergistic H2O2 production based on a novel dual-function photoelectrocatalytic
(PEC) system in which the jointed spontaneous reaction of desulfurization
and H2O2 production was integrated instead of
nonspontaneous reaction of O2 to H2O2. SO2 was absorbed by alkali liquor then oxidized quickly
into SO4
2– by a nanorod α-Fe2O3 photoanode, which possessed high alkali corrosion
resistance and electron transport properties. H2O2 was produced simultaneously in the cathode chamber on a gas diffusion
electrode and was remarkably boosted by the conversion reaction of
SO3
2– to SO4
2– in the anode chamber in which the released chemical energy was effectively
used to increase H2O2. The photocurrent density
increased by 40% up to 1.2 mA·cm–2, and the
H2O2 evolution rate achieved 58.8 μmol·L–1·h–1·cm–2 with the synergistic treatment of SO2, which is about
five times than that without SO2. This proposed PEC cell
system offers a cost-effective and environmental-benign approach for
dual purpose of flue gas desulfurization and simultaneous high-valued
H2O2 production.
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