Deep Dehalogenation of Florfenicol Using Crystalline CoP Nanosheet Arrays on a Ti Plate via Direct Cathodic Reduction and Atomic H

Environ Sci Technol. 2019 Oct 15;53(20):11932-11940. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04352. Epub 2019 Sep 24.

Abstract

Efficient elimination of antibacterial activity of halogenated antibiotics by dehalogenation pretreatment is desired for a biochemical treatment process. In this study, crystalline cobalt phosphide nanosheet arrays on a Ti plate (C-CoP/Ti) are fabricated by a simple electrodeposition and phosphorization process. The crystalline structure greatly promotes atomic hydrogen (H*) generation. Moreover, the nanosheet arrays can provide abundant active sites and accelerate electron transfer and mass transport. As a result, the dehalogenation rate of florfenicol (FLO, an emerging organic pollutant) on C-CoP/Ti is 11.1, 2.97, and 13.6 times higher than that on amorphous CoP/Ti, Pd/Ti, and bare Ti, respectively. The C-CoP/Ti electrode achieves 97.4% dehalogenation of FLO (20 mg L-1) within 30 min at -1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Nearly 100% of Cl and 20% of F are broken away within 120 min, showing the highest electrocatalytic defluorination efficiency reported so far. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that the dehalogenation of FLO on C-CoP/Ti is synergistically accomplished via direct reduction of electron transfer and indirect reduction of H*. This study develops a highly efficient non-noble metal electrode material for dehalogenation of halogenated organic compounds.

MeSH terms

  • Electrodes
  • Halogenation
  • Thiamphenicol* / analogs & derivatives
  • Titanium

Substances

  • florfenicol
  • Titanium
  • Thiamphenicol