A novel method and a sand/water remediation system with a photocatalytic fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019308231-A1
Application number	US-201716314639-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 1, 2017
Priority date	May 18, 2017
Publication date	Oct 10, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the sewage treatment and sand remediation technology, it is about a new type of system and method about sand/water remediation with photocatalytic fuel cell. The characteristic photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) using photons or solar energy to produce highly active electron/holes is introduced into soil remediation system to degrade pollutants. In the constructed Visible light photocatalytic fuel cell sand water remediation system, there was overlying water above polluted sands in a tubular reactor. Allowing static adsorption equilibrium to buildup, in the built photocatalytic fuel cell, the photocatalytic anode and photoelectric catalytic cathode were connected by wires with an external resistance. Using 50 W halogen lamp as the light source, it maintains photocatalysis and electrocatalytic reactions to degrade pollutants in the system. By degrading the pollutants in the overlying water, the pollutants in the sand were also desorbed and degraded, and rapidly decreased to a very low level. Thus in this system water purification treatment and sand remediation take place simultaneously.

First claim

1 . A novel system and method of sand/water remediation with photocatalytic fuel cell, wherein:
in characteristic photocatalytic fuel cells, photons and/or solar energy are used to excite highly active electron/holes to degrade pollutants; thus, a soil/sand remediation system made of visible light responsive photocatalytic fuel cell was constructed to decontaminate solid sands from pollutions; the system consisted of overlying water above sand in a tubular reactor; the pollutant solution that may reach static adsorption equilibrium was treated; the photocatalytic fuel cell has built-in immersed photocatalytic anode and photoelectric catalytic cathode that are connected by wires; and 50 W halogen lamp was used to simulate the solar light, it maintains photocatalysis and electrocatalytic reaction that degrade pollutants inside the system; by degrading the pollutants in the overlying water, the pollutants in sand was also desorbed and degraded, that decreased the content in sand to a very low level, thus achieved the remediation purpose.

2 . The novel system according to the sand/water remediation system described in claim 1 , wherein when Mn(III) was produced by dropping-in solution containing KMnO 4 /bisulfate, MnO 4 − reacted with HSO 3 − and that introduced new active species, that improved photocatalytic degradation of pollutants.

3 . The novel system according according to claim 1 about sand/water remediation system and method, wherein cyclodextrin was added to the sand, promoting the mass transfer between sand and water, more pollutants migrated from sand to the overlying water, then being degraded by photoelectrocatalysis, achieved water decontamination and sand remediation.

4 . The novel system according to the sand/water remediation system of claim 1 , the system and method wherein the anode photocatalyst is Ag/Ag/GO and the cathode photocatalyst is ZnIn 2 S 4 .

5 . The novel system according to the sand/water remediation system of the claim 3 , wherein the photocatalytic anode has Ag/Ag/GO and the photocatalytic cathode has ZnIn 2 S 4 .

6 . The novel system according to the sand/water remediation system mentioned in the claim 4 , wherein the anode Ag/Ag/GO catalyst was prepared by precipitation-light reduction method, in which silver-ammonia solution was used as a silver source;
the cathode photocatalyst ZnIn 2 S 4 was synthesized by a hydrothermal method; silica sol was prepared by stirring the mixture of ethyl orthosilicate, anhydrous ethanol, deionized water and concentrated hydrochloric acid, at a volume ratio of 4.5:10:9:2.45; after-adding photocatalysts into the silica sol, the sol was stirred throughly to a gain a uniform sol-paste; catalytic electrodes were prepared by evenly coating the sol-paste onto a stainless steel mesh eg sized at 5 cm*3 cm, then dried at room temperature; the amount of nanophotocatalyst per square centimeter is 5 mg.

7 . The novel system according to the sand/water remediation system of claim 5 , wherein the anode Ag/Ag/GO catalyst was obtained by precipitation-light reduction method, in which silver-ammonia solution was used as a silver source;
the photocatalytic cathode ZnIn 2 S 4 was synthesized by hydrothermal method; silica sol was prepared by stirring a mixture with ethyl orthosilicate, anhydrous ethanol, deionized water and concentrated hydrochloric acid at a volume ratio of 4.5:10:9:2.45; after adding catalysts into silica sol, the sol was stirred throughly to a gain a homogeneous sol paste; catalytic electrodes were prepared by evenly coating the paste into stainless steel mesh eg with the size of 5 cm*3 cm, then air dried at room temperature; the amount of nanophotocatalyst per square centimeter is 5 mg.

Assignees

• Univ Dalian Tech

Inventors

• Liu Lifen
• He Rui

Classifications

• B09C1/02 Primary

  Extraction using liquids, e.g. washing, leaching {, flotation} · CPC title

• B09C1/085 Primary

  electrochemically, e.g. by electrokinetics · CPC title

• B09C1/00 Primary

  Reclamation of contaminated soil · CPC title

• C02F2001/46133

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• C02F1/4672

  by electrooxydation · CPC title