In Situ Electrochemical Synthesis of Squamous-like Cu<sub>2</sub>S Induced by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria as a Fenton-like Catalyst in Wastewater Treatment: Catalytic Performance and Mechanism
Liuhui Zhao,
Zihao Li,
Jing Yang,
Jiawen Sun,
Xiaofan Zhai,
Fubin Ma,
Jizhou Duan,
Peng Ju,
Baorong Hou
Affiliations
Liuhui Zhao
School of Biologic Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250300, China
Zihao Li
School of Biologic Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250300, China
Jing Yang
CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-Fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
Jiawen Sun
CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-Fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
Xiaofan Zhai
School of Biologic Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250300, China
Fubin Ma
CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-Fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
Jizhou Duan
CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-Fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
Peng Ju
Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, Marine Bioresource and Environment Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, No. 6 Xianxialing Road, Qingdao 266061, China
Baorong Hou
CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-Fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, China
In this paper, a novel method was proposed for the synthesis of Cu2S on copper mesh via electrolysis in SRB culture medium. It was found that following electrolysis in SRB medium, squamous-like Cu2S arrays were obtained on the copper mesh, and the Cu2S loading contents varied with the electrolyzing parameters. The resultant Cu2S on copper mesh in SRB (CSCM-SRB) with the highest catalytic MB degradation properties was produced by electrolysis at 3.75 mA/cm2 for 900 s. The optimized MB-degrading conditions were determined to be 1.2 cm2/mL CSCM-SRB with 0.05 M H2O2 at 35 °C when pH = 6, under which the degradation of MB reached over 99% after 120 min of reaction. Disinfecting properties was also proven by antibacterial tests, revealing that an almost 100% antibacterial rate against E. coli was obtained after 8 min. The organic compounds produced by SRB adsorbed on CSCM-SRB strongly promoted the degradation of MB. Furthermore, possible Fenton-like mechanisms of CSCM-SRB were proposed, illustrating that ·O2−, ·OH, and 1O2 acted as the main functional species during Fenton-like reactions, leading to effective MB degradation and high antibacterial properties. Finally, a simple device for wastewater treatment was designed, providing possible applications in real environments.
