Iron Phosphide Precatalyst for Electrocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye and Removal of Escherichia coli from Simulated Wastewater

Abstract

Electrocatalysis using low-cost materials is a promising, economical strategy for remediation of water contaminated with organic chemicals and microorganisms. Here, we report the use of iron phosphide (Fe2P) precatalyst for electrocatalytic water oxidation; degradation of a representative aromatic hydrocarbon, the dye rhodamine B (RhB); and inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. It was found that during anodic oxidation, the Fe2P phase was converted to iron phosphate phase (Fe2P-iron phosphate). This is the first report that Fe2P precatalyst can efficiently catalyze electrooxidation of an organic molecule and inactivate microorganisms in aqueous media. Using a thin film of Fe2P precatalyst, we achieved 98% RhB degradation efficiency and 100% E. coli inactivation under an applied bias of 2.0 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode in the presence of in situ generated reactive chlorine species. Recycling test revealed that Fe2P precatalyst exhibits excellent activity and reproducibility during degradation of RhB. High-performance liquid chromatography with UV-Vis detection further confirmed the electrocatalytic (EC) degradation of the dye. Finally, in tests using Lepidium sativum L., EC-treated RhB solutions showed significantly diminished phytotoxicity when compared to untreated RhB. These findings suggest that Fe2P-iron phosphate electrocatalyst could be an effective water remediation agent.

A phase and interface co-engineered MoPxSy@NiFePxSy@NPS-C hierarchical heterostructure for sustainable oxygen evolution reaction

“…37,38 The lattice fringe of 0.156 nm is assigned to the (102) plane of Fe 2 P or the ( 261) plane of FeP 4 . 39,40 In addition, the lattice fringe of 0.251 nm belongs to the (100) plane of NiS, or the (210) plane of NiS 2 (Fig. 3c).…”

Ni2P Nanoparticle-Inserted Porous Layered NiO Hetero-Structured Nanosheets as a Durable Catalyst for the Electro-Oxidation of Urea

“…The electro-oxidation of urea produces a valuable energy product (H 2 ), a nontoxic product (N 2 ), and CO 2 ; although if the urea is a run-off from natural bases, the production of CO 2 is a portion of the biological carbon cycle [ 8 ]. The electro-oxidation of urea has received growing consideration in the electrochemical method of the ecofriendly catalysis of urea–wastewater management [ 6 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Hydrogen can be generated by the dissociation of urea, and it can also be immediately served to fuel cell systems to produce electricity [ 19 , 20 ].…”