Preparation of Fe-Mo-C Ternary Micro-Electrolysis Material and Degradation of Dyeing Wastewater Under Neutrality

Abstract

The widespread usage of synthetic dyes causes their appearance in abundance in the wastewater discharged from factories, threatening ecosystems and even the survival of living organisms. In this research, a novel Fe-Mo-C ternary micro-electrolysis material (MEM) was prepared by introducing metal Mo into the Fe-C micro-electrolysis system, and its composition and structures were characterized.Compared with Fe-C MEM, it showed a considerable enhancement in the chromaticity and Chemical Oxygen Demand removal of dyeing wastewater, and the degradation and COD removal efficiency of 300 mg L-1 sunset yellow solution with neutral pH reached 99.6% and 91.7%, respectively, through 20 s of treatment. And the studies indicated that it offers excellent adaptability to the degradation of various dyes (methyl orange, methylene blue, rhodamine B, etc.) and therefore exhibits potential for a wide range of applications. In the Fe-Mo-C ternary micro-electrolysis system Fe0 served as anode galvanic coupling with a double cathode of Mo0 and activated carbon, resulting in the formation of numerous galvanic cell systems in the wastewater. Meanwhile, nano-scale Mo2C was found during preparation and was considered to play a positive role in the wastewater treatment by facilitating the 2-electron oxygen reduction reaction.

Keywords: Ternary micro-electrolysis, Dyeing wastewater, Nano-scale Mo2C, Neutral pH conditions, COD removal