High Energy Efficiency Electrochemical Degradation of Tributyl Phosphate (Tbp) by a Ti/Sno2-Sb/F-Pbo2 Electrode

The extensive production and consumption of tributyl phosphate (TBP) pose a potential threat to the environment and human health. Many treatment techniques have been proposed for the removal of TBP from contaminated liquids. As an effective organic pollutant treatment technique, electrochemical processes can oxidatively degrade any class of organic pollutants. The Ti/O2-Sb/F-PbO2 electrode prepared by the electrodeposition method was applied to electrochemically oxidize TBP. Higher energy efficiency was achieved for the Ti/SnO2-Sb/F-PbO2 electrode, and the removal reached 43.9% within 20 min of electrolysis with an energy efficiency of 527 g kWh-1 under the optimal conditions (current density of 30 mA cm-2, 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte concentration, initial pH of 3 and initial TBP concentration of 3 g L-1). The properties of the Ti/SnO2-Sb/F-PbO2 electrode were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS); linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) was used to test the electrocatalytic performance. A possible mechanism for the electrocatalytic degradation of TBP was proposed. The electrochemical degradation of TBP is affected by the mass transfer process of TBP, intermediate products and ·OH between the reaction interface and the electrolyte solution, presenting three stages: rapid, slow, and temporary reaction equilibrium. This study could provide a rapid degradation method for pre-treating wastewater with a high initial TBP concentration before biodegradation