Efficient degradation of atrazine by electrochemical activation of persulfate based on graphite paper cathode

Most cathode materials have lower hydrogen evolution potentials compared with the potential of electrochemical activation of persulfate (PS) reaction, which inhibits the electrochemical activation of PS. In this study, graphite paper (GP) with high hydrogen evolution potential was used as cathode to activate PS for the degradation of persistent organic pollutants in wastewater, and it provided a theoretical basis for graphite material as cathode to activate PS. GP was adopted as the cathode and atrazine (ATZ) as the model pollutant. The feasibility of GP as cathode to generate free radicals by electrochemical activation of PS and the degradation mechanism of ATZ were studied. The results showed that GP as the cathode could effectively activate PS to generate radicals •OH, SO4•-, O2•- and 1O2 to completely degrade ATZ after 50 min when I=-2 mA, PS concentration was 1 mmol∙L-1 and ATZ concentration was 2.3 µmol∙L-1. Meanwhile the experiment proves that GP as cathode could activate PS efficiently, which could effectively degrade ATZ and provide a new idea for using graphite material as cathode to electrochemical activate PS. © 2022, Editorial Board of "Journal of Chemical Engineering of Chinese Universities". All right reserved.