An eco-friendly photocatalytic coupling capacitive deionization system for efficient chlorophenol wastewater treatment

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64839-X

Abstract

Abstract:

Since conventional photocatalytic technology fails to achieve complete elimination of chlorophenol contaminants from aqueous environments, this study presents a synergistic photocatalysis-capacitive deionization (PC-CDI) system as an advanced solution for industrial chlorophenol wastewater remediation. The PC-CDI system, employing boron nitride/carbon nitride (BN/CN) heterojunction electrodes, demonstrates exceptional degradation performance toward chlorophenols. The high-surface-area porous BN/CN heterojunction facilitates electro-adsorption and charge carrier separation, thereby synergistically optimizing both photocatalytic (PC) and capacitive deionization (CDI) functionalities. Remarkably, the integrated system achieves a 2,4-DCP degradation efficiency of 97.15% and a 2,4,6-TCP degradation efficiency of 100% in 2 h. The CDI component enables spatial separation through the electro-adsorption of Cl^- ions at the anode, effectively mitigating their interference and suppressing chlorinated byproduct formation. Concurrently, the electro-adsorption of positively charged chlorophenol pollutants accelerates their diffusion to catalytic sites, promoting the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven degradation of chlorophenol pollutants. The PC-CDI system exhibits robust stability (> 95% efficiency retention over five cycles) and broad applicability across various chlorophenol derivatives. By circumventing Cl^--induced side reactions and inhibiting chlorine radical generation during photocatalysis, this strategy minimizes the environmental risks associated with chlorinated byproducts during chlorophenol wastewater treatment. These findings establish the PC-CDI system as a sustainable and eco-friendly technology for industrial wastewater treatment.

Key words: Photocatalysis, Chlorophenols, Capacitive deionization, Boron nitride, C₃N₄

Ziye Zheng, Yi Ren, Meng Dai, Hongsheng Li, Huizhen Cui, Sen Wang, Shuguang Wang, Zuoli He. An eco-friendly photocatalytic coupling capacitive deionization system for efficient chlorophenol wastewater treatment[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2025, 79: 148-161.

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URL: https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64839-X

https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/Y2025/V79/I12/148

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