Pd-catalytic hydrodechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons in groundwater using H2 produced by a dual-anode system

Water electrolysis has been employed for in situ supplying H2 to Pd-catalytic treatment of groundwater, but the treatment efficiency is greatly inhibited by the concomitant production of O2. In this study, a new dual-anode system is proposed to improve the efficiency. An inert anode and an iron anode are used simultaneously to produce O2 and Fe(II), respectively. The quick oxidative precipitation of Fe(II) by O2 removes both Fe(II) and O2, improving the utilization of cathodic H2 for the subsequent Pd-catalytic hydrodechlorination. Feasibility tests in the lab show that Pd-catalytic hydrodechlorination of trichloroethylene (TCE) was considerably increased by the addition of an iron anode to the conventional two-electrode system. Scale-up tests at an abandoned chemical site demonstrated that chlorobenzenes in the groundwater were largely hydrodechlorinated to benzene, showing a maximum efficiency with the currents of 0.24 and 0.16 A applied to the inert and iron anodes, respectively, at the flow rate of 6 L/h. In a 3-month intermittent field test, Pd normalized rate constants of hydrodechlorinating three chlorobenzenes are comparable to the conventional means of H2 supply, while the cost for hydrodechlorination normalized by one mole [H] is much lower. The dual-anode system is an effective means to supplying H2 in situ for Pd-catalytic treatment.