Tetracycline removal from aqueous solution by electrooxidation using ruthenium-coated graphite anode

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Tetracycline is a widely used antibiotic, and its presence in wastewater poses environmental and health risks.
• Conventional wastewater treatment methods struggle to degrade persistent pharmaceutical compounds like tetracycline.
• Electrochemical oxidation (EO) presents a promising advanced oxidation process for pollutant removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electrochemical oxidation of tetracycline in acidic aqueous solutions.
• To compare the performance of Ru-coated graphite anodes with raw graphite anodes for tetracycline removal.
• To evaluate the influence of operating parameters on the degradation efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical oxidation was performed using a lab-scale electrochemical cell.
• Tetracycline degradation was studied using Ru-coated graphite and raw graphite anodes.
• Operating parameters including pH, current, electrolyte concentration, and initial tetracycline concentration were varied.
• Surface characterization of the Ru-coated anode was conducted using SEM, AFM, and EDX.

Main Results:

• The Ru-coated graphite anode demonstrated significantly higher tetracycline degradation efficiency compared to the raw graphite anode.
• Complete degradation of refractory compounds was achieved with the Ru-coated anode.
• 93.8% tetracycline abatement was observed after 100 minutes of electrolysis at 100 mA.
• Tetracycline decay followed pseudo-first-order kinetics.

Conclusions:

• Ru-coated graphite anodes are highly effective for the electrochemical oxidation and removal of tetracycline.
• The modified graphite electrode offers a performing alternative for treating pharmaceutical-contaminated water.
• Electrochemical oxidation with Ru-coated graphite is a superior method for catalytic degradation compared to raw graphite.