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Two sodium alginate-based Pb2+-imprinted thermosensitive hydrogels (SPIT (without ɛ-PL) and SPPIT (with ɛ-PL)) were synthesized, with sodium alginate and ɛ-polylysine (ɛ-PL) as the matrix, N-isopropylacrylamide as the monomer. Characterization with differential scanning calorimeter, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyzer, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the aimed structure of the hydrogels. The adsorption capacity of SPIT and SPPIT for Pb2+ was 98.64 mg/g and 153.49 mg/g, respectively. Washing the Pb2+-loaded adsorbent with 10 °C deionized water, SPIT and SPPIT achieved a desorption efficiency of 94.59 % and 97.51 %, respectively. After 10 cycles of adsorption-desorption process, the adsorption capacity and desorption efficiency remained at about 80–88 % of the original ones, expressing excellent reusability. In a mixture containing eight metal ions (Pb2+, Cu2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cd2+, Na+, K+, Fe3+), the adsorption capacity of SPIT to Pb2+ was 92.49 mg/g, and that of SPPIT was 102.49 mg/g, much higher than that to the other ions (1.50–11.38 mg/g on SPIT, 9.48–27.45 mg/g on SPPIT), showing excellent adsorption selectivity. The introduction of ɛ-PL enhanced the adsorption capacity, antibacterial ability and stability of the hydrogel, ensuring better application potential in real wastewater. • Two Pb2+-imprinted adsorbents were prepared with sodium alginate as the matrix. • The differential scanning calorimeter test confirmed the reversible thermosensitivity of the adsorbents. • Washing with cold water (5-10 °C) could regenerate the Pb2+-loaded adsorbents. • After 10 cycles of reuse, 80–88 % of the adsorption capacity was remained. • The adsorptive selectivity coefficient of adsorbent was up to 33.99. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption process of deionized water droplets on the parallel flow interface between ionic liquid [BMIM][PF6] and mineral oil is investigated in U-shaped microchannels. Three flow patterns of the efficient adsorption, moderate adsorption, and inefficient adsorption based on the adsorption efficiency were observed. The dimensionless droplet length D / W > 0.72 is conducive to efficient adsorption of droplets. When droplet shape factor β > 1, the lubrication pressure generated within the curved liquid film has a more significant hindrance on the adsorption process, and the reverse lubrication pressure at the outlet of the liquid film is the main reason for the rupture of the liquid film. An increase in the velocity of phase interface A-B movement can lead to an increase in lubrication pressure. A correlation model is established between the dimensionless adsorption length L * and the dimensionless adsorption time t *, and the influence of Laplace pressure is analyzed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of saturated Activated Carbon (AC) electrochemical regeneration was evaluated. Reactor configurations in cathodic/anodic process, applied current effect on the properties of AC and Methylene Blue MB-AC interactions and adsorption/desorption mechanisms were studied. The efficiency was measured by adsorption capacity adsorption/regeneration cycles and changes in the adsorbent characteristic were analyzed through FTIR, BET, Optical Microscopy (OM) and SEM before and after the regeneration. The energy consumption was analyzed to assess the economic feasibility. It was found that the electrochemical treatment was efficient in returning the AC adsorption capacity, maximum efficiencies of approximately 79% and 84% were reached when the Carbon Fiber Cloth-AC electrode was subjected to anodic and cathodic currents, respectively, at a current of 0.1 A. In addition, the material demonstrated good stability through adsorption-regeneration cycles by cathodic process, with the material's adsorption capacity being almost totally recovered for 8 consecutive cycles. The removal percentage around 80% was kept after the cycles, with optimal conditions when the electrode was subjected to cathodic currents, NaCI as electrolyte at a current of 0.1 A for 2 h. The characterization techniques provided results that allow to explain the higher and prolonged efficiency of the cathodic current. Furthermore, these reactor configurations achieved an electrical energy consumption of 2.3 and 2.1 kWh kg-1 of material for cathodic and anodic, respectively. These results indicate that the electrochemical is an economical and environmental suitable technique capable of restore carbon adsorbents to be reusable for several water treatment cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The efficiency of saturated Activated Carbon (AC) electrochemical regeneration was evaluated. Reactor configurations in cathodic/anodic process, applied current effect on the properties of AC and Methylene Blue MB-AC interactions and adsorption/desorption mechanisms were studied. The efficiency was measured by adsorption capacity adsorption/regeneration cycles and changes in the adsorbent characteristic were analyzed through FTIR, BET, Optical Microscopy (OM) and SEM before and after the regeneration. The energy consumption was analyzed to assess the economic feasibility. It was found that the electrochemical treatment was efficient in returning the AC adsorption capacity, maximum efficiencies of approximately 79% and 84% were reached when the Carbon Fiber Cloth-AC electrode was subjected to anodic and cathodic currents, respectively, at a current of 0.1 A. In addition, the material demonstrated good stability through adsorption-regeneration cycles by cathodic process, with the material's adsorption capacity being almost totally recovered for 8 consecutive cycles. The removal percentage around 80% was kept after the cycles, with optimal conditions when the electrode was subjected to cathodic currents, NaCl as electrolyte at a current of 0.1 A for 2 h. The characterization techniques provided results that allow to explain the higher and prolonged efficiency of the cathodic current. Furthermore, these reactor configurations achieved an electrical energy consumption of 2.3 and 2.1 kWh kg −1 of material for cathodic and anodic, respectively. These results indicate that the electrochemical is an economical and environmental suitable technique capable of restore carbon adsorbents to be reusable for several water treatment cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The continuous adsorptive removal of phenol using low-cost activated carbon was studied. • Effects of electromagnetic field (EMF), and electric potential (EP) in the phenol removal were studied. • EMF enhanced the removal performance of activated carbon electrodes on the aluminum substrate. In this study, we introduce an electrode configuration setup to study the effect of an electromagnetic field (EMF) and electric potential (EP) on phenol removal in a continuous adsorption process. Feed water contaminated with dissolved phenol was exposed to EMF and passed through charged activated carbon electrodes prepared from Phoenix dactylifera (palm tree) biowaste. This study investigated the effects of magnetic field exposure, electric potential, feed salinity, and electrode substrate type. The results revealed that the highest adsorption uptake capacity of 47.2 mg/g was achieved using an aluminum substrate (AS) with EMF at zero salinity. The phenol adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order adsorption rate and diffusion model, indicating that intraparticle diffusion was the primary rate-limiting mechanism. The increased phenol adsorption uptake capacity brought on by the EMF may result from the improved mass transfer and mobility of the adsorbate and, consequently, the increased effectiveness of the internal diffusion of the pollutants. Finally, a regeneration efficiency of 99 % was achieved using NaOH at a salinity of 5,000 ppm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The leaching effect of albite was sorted as follows: hydrochloric acid > potassium hydroxide > deionized water. • The adsorption of H 3 O+, OH− and H 2 O molecules on the surface of albite resulted in the loose framework of albite. • The H+ and K+ in solution exchanged with Na+ in albite and caused the leaching of Na element in albite. The mechanism of inorganic acid and alkali promoted weathering of albite is still unclear. In this work, the mechanism was investigated through leaching experiments and DFT simulations. The results showed that the leaching effect of albite was sorted as follows: hydrochloric acid > potassium hydroxide > deionized water. The H 3 O+ dehydrogenated by breakage of O–H bond, and then the proton bonded with the O atom to form a silicon hydroxyl group on the surface of albite. The O atom in OH− bonded with the three-coordinated Al atom to form the four-coordinated Al. The H 2 O molecule was adsorbed on the surface of albite by hydrogen bond. Meanwhile, the adsorption of H 3 O+, OH− and H 2 O on the (0 0 1) surface of albite caused the elongation of Si–O and Al–O bonds in the bulk phase, resulting in the loose framework of albite. Compared to the interaction mode of water molecules and albite, the H+ in hydrochloric acid and K+ in potassium hydroxide exchanged with Na+ in albite, which caused that the albite lattice was contracted and expanded, respectively. As a result, the surface of albite was damaged, and further caused the Na element was released from the albite crystal to liquid phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption phenomenon on surfaces is investigated both with and without the presence of an external electric field. A simple interpretation of the adsorption coefficient and desorption time, as they appear in Langmuir's isotherm model, is presented. A model for electrosorption is proposed, which explicitly takes into account the applied external voltage and the reaction field resulting from the adsorbed charges. Both saturation, stemming from the finite density of adsorption sites, and non-saturation regimes are considered. The case of a system in contact with a reservoir of particles is also analyzed for its experimental importance. The model's validity is assessed by analyzing experimental data published by several research groups. A comparative study of the proposed model is conducted in relation to the commonly used pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models. Unlike the latter models, the proposed model allows for the assessment of the impact of the external voltage on the model parameters. The model takes into account ion generation resulting from electrolysis phenomena. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aggregates swell due to the "adsorption-swelling" and "adsorption-filling" effects. • The "adsorption-swelling" effect was most prominent with fraction size 2 ∼ 1 mm. • The "adsorption-filling" effect was most prominent with fraction size < 0.053 mm. Soil aggregates swell when infiltrated by water, and their size can increase in two ways. First, aggregates can attach to one another with water acting as a bridge (i.e., adsorption), and water can enter the aggregate pores (i.e., swelling). This is defined as the "adsorption-swelling" effect. Second, clay can fill the pores of macroaggregates and microaggregates (i.e., filling) when adsorption occurs. This is defined as the "adsorption-filling" effect. However, the size range of aggregates affected by these effects and the extent of their influence on aggregate swelling are still unclear. Therefore, different initial size fractions (5 ∼ 2, 2 ∼ 1, 1 ∼ 0.5, 0.5 ∼ 0.25 and 0.25 ∼ 0.053 mm) of soil aggregates from the black soil zone of Northeast China were studied. The size range of swollen aggregates, the "adsorption-swelling" rate (V) of initial size fractions, and the "adsorption-filling" rate (E) of size fractions < 0.053 mm were measured and calculated in three experimental treatments that involved the following procedures: i) wet-sieving of each initial size fraction in deionized water (WS); ii) wet-sieving of each initial size fraction of air-dried aggregates after they were soaked in absolute ethanol (WS as); and iii) the size fraction < 0.053 mm air-dried aggregates were mixed with each initial size fraction of air-dried aggregates in absolute ethanol and then wet-sieved (WS af). The results were as follows: i) the size fraction 2 ∼ 0.053 mm were swollen. ii) V decreased exponentially with decreasing initial particle size, with a maximum value of 32.30% at a size fraction of 2 ∼ 1 mm; and iii) the "adsorption-filling" effect of size fraction < 0.053 mm was obvious in the size fraction < 2 mm swelling aggregates with a maximum of 29.54%. The "adsorption-swelling" and "adsorption-filling" effects had greater impacts on soils with high contents of the size fractions 2 ∼ 1 and < 0.053 mm. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the swelling mechanisms of soil aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective capture of radioactive 99TcO 4 - from highly alkaline nuclear waste is highly desirable for environmental remediation and waste disposal. However, the combined features of adsorbents with excellent chemical stability and high capture selectivity for 99TcO 4 - have not yet been achieved. Herein, we report an ultra-stable 3D pyridinium salt-based polymeric network (TMP-TBPM) nanotrap with remarkable radiation, acid and base stability for selective capture of ReO 4 - via hydrophobic engineering and steric hindrance, a non-radioactive surrogate of 99TcO 4 -. The batch capture experiments show that TMP-TBPM has high capture capacity (918.7 mg g−1) and fast sorption kinetics (94.3 % removal in 2 min), which can be attributed to the high density of pyridinium salt-based units on the highly accessible pore channels of 3D interconnected low-density skeleton. In addition, the introduction of abundant alkyl and tetraphenylmethane units into the 3D framework not only greatly enhanced the hydrophobicity and stability of TMP-TBPM, but also significantly improved the affinity toward 99TcO 4 -/ReO 4 -, enabling reversible and selective capture of 99TcO 4 -/ReO 4 - even under highly alkaline conditions. This study exhibits the great potential of 3D pyridinium salt-based polymeric network nanotrap for 99TcO 4 -/ReO 4 - capture from highly alkaline nuclear waste, providing a new strategy to construct high-performance cationic polymeric sorbents for radioactive wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • Robust 3D pyridinium salt-based polymeric network for selective capture of ReO 4 −. • The first example of 3D pyridinium salt-based polymeric network for ReO 4 - capture. • TMP-TBPM has excellent capture performance and high selectivity for 99TcO 4 -/ReO 4 -. • TMP-TBPM can selectively and reversibly capture 99TcO 4 -/ReO 4 - under alkaline conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysaccharide-based hydrogel adsorbents become popular because of their high adsorption capacity and fast adsorption rate, but their low removal rate and poor pH resistance have always been fatal shortcomings. Herein, a feasible strategy was proposed to strengthen the ability of hydrogel adsorbent to remove organic pollutants (i.e., dye) by incorporating natural rectorite (REC) into chitosan- g -poly (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propane-sulfonic-acid) hydrogel network to form a rectorite-in-polymer network structure. The introduction of less dosage of REC (1.2 wt%) into the hydrogel facilitates to improve its adsorption capacities toward methylene blue (MB) in deionized water, tap water, seawater, Yangtze River water, and Yellow River water (1083.39–1303.49 mg/g); while incorporating higher content of REC (15.8 wt% REC) helps to improve the removal rate (99.6% for MB in real waters), which are greatly superior to commercial activated carbons. The adsorbent keeps high adsorption efficiency in a broad pH range (2–11), and can be reused for >4 times. [Display omitted] • Synthesized chitosan-based hydrogel has a rectorite-in-polymer composite network. • The hydrogel shows high adsorption capacity (1303.49 mg/g) and removal rate (99.6 %). • Removal efficiency keeps high in real waters (Yangtze River, Yellow River, seawater). • The hydrogel's adsorption capacity far exceeds that of commercial activated carbon. • This method is universal to enhance the removal efficiency of hydrogel adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• WO 3 –WS 2 decorated polypyrrole nanocomposite are investigated for removing heavy metals and supercapacitor application. • Compared to WO 3 –WS 2 and PPy, WO 3 –WS 2 /PPy showed superior heavy metal removal efficiency. • WO 3 -WS 2 /PPy based electrodes exhibit remarkable supercapacitive properties. • Even after 5000 cycles, WO 3 -WS 2 /PPy exhibits outstanding stability and capacity retention of 81%. Nowadays, developing a simple, economic, and scalable approach for environmental remediation and producing energy storage devices remains challenging. Herein, we report a novel WO 3 –WS 2 decorated polypyrrole (WO 3 –WS 2 /PPy) nanocomposite for the removal of heavy metals, i.e., Cd(II) and Ni(II) and high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. The WO 3 –WS 2 /PPy showed significant improvement in the removal of Cd(II) (95.33%) and Ni(II) (89.95%), while WO 3 –WS 2 and PPy revealed removal efficiency of 87.02 and 77.01% for Cd(II) and 82.97 and 74.66% for Ni(II), respectively. For the competitive adsorption experiment, Cu2+/Zn2+ causes a significant influence, while Na+/K+/Mg2+/Ca2+ exerted less effect on the adsorption of the aforementioned metal ions. The WO 3 –WS 2 /PPy exhibited higher selectivity toward Cd2+ than Ni2+. Along with, the WO 3 –WS 2 decorated PPy based electrode showed a high specific surface area and support conductive networks, which synergistically improved charge storage capability. The WO 3 -WS 2 /PPy-based electrodes exhibit superior electrochemical performance with excellent rate capability, offering the high specific capacitance value of 624 F/g at 3 A/g current density and retaining capacitance stability of 81% after 5000 cycles in 1 M Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte solution. The outcomes of this research infer that WO 3 -WS 2 /PPy is a promising candidate for wastewater treatment and high-performance energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability and accessibility of clean and secure water supplies are pressing technological and scientific issues worldwide. As a result of global water constraints, wastewater treatment and reuse are being evaluated as feasible alternatives to fresh water for agricultural irrigation and domestic and industrial purposes. Boron carbon nitride (BCN) nanosheets have been studied intensively in the last decade in batteries, biosensors, and capacitors, and for use as catalysts, and they have recently been used in wastewater treatment. BCN materials, along with their synthesis processes, characteristics, and application areas in water and wastewater treatment, are discussed thoroughly in this paper. Additionally, synthesis processes for ternary BCN compounds, including chemical vapor deposition, ion beam-aided deposition, magnetron sputtering, and pulsed laser deposition, are described. BCN materials have also been explored because of their flexible electrical features, excellent mechanical strength, outstanding unreactivity, and significant stability, which make them appropriate for a range of severe environment applications. Thus, the use of BCN materials as photocatalysts and adsorbents and in electrochemical reduction and capacitive deionization are also discussed thoroughly. The highest ammonia production of 172,226.5 μg/h.mg.cat and faradic efficiency of 95.3% have been obtained using the BCN@Cu/CNT catalyst, whereas the ammonia production and FE values for metal-free BCN are 7.75 μg/h.mg.cat and 13.8%. Moreover, the maximum attained adsorption capacities of BCN nanosheets for Pb2+ and Hg2+ are 210 and 625 mg/g, respectively. Overall, this review indicates that essential work on BCN nanosheets is still needed. Future research should focus on the development of BCN nanostructures to encourage multidisciplinary research. [Display omitted] • BCN nanosheets improved performance for water treatment is summarized. • Synthesis methods for ternary BCN nanosheets are explored. • BCN as photocatalysts, adsorbents, and in electrochemical reduction are discussed. • Metal-loaded BCN nanosheets were elaborated as effective water treatment strategy. • Metal and ammonia production potential of BCN increased with metal modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CPPS-2-18 electrode is fabricated by adsorbing the redox mediator(AR18) into the nanopores of CPPS-2 through electrosorption. • AR18 confined into the nanopores can play crucial role on enhancing the electrochemical properties of CPPS-2-18. • Due to the confined effect, the shuttle behavior of the ions in the electrolyte is inhabited well. • The electrochemical properties of the electrode are improved by confining AR18 into the nanopores. The limitation of low energy density of carbon-based supercapacitors can be broken through introducing redox mediators into the electrolyte. Herein, biomass porous carbon CPPS-2 with a high specific surface area of 1649 m2/g was prepared by KOH activation. Capitalizing on the adsorption property of porous carbon, redox mediator, acid red 18 (AR18), was confined into the nanopores of CPPS-2 to fabricate the CPPS-2-18 electrode. After adsorbing 2.72 mg AR18, the specific capacitance of CPPS-2-18 is 568F/g at a current density of 1 A/g in 1 M H 2 SO 4 , which is as same as that of CPPS-2 in 1 M H 2 SO 4 + 10 mM AR18, however, the rate performance and coulombic efficiency of CPPS-2-18 are higher than those of CPPS-2. The results reveal that the redox reaction in nanopores of CPPS-2-18 is more reversible than that on the surface of CPPS-2. Meanwhile, the symmetric supercapacitor based on CPPS-2-18 achieves a maximum energy density of 23Wh/kg and power density of 6000 W/kg. Besides, the self-discharging behavior of CPPS-2 is restrained by confining AR18 into the nanopores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A porous nanofiber membrane with dense distribution of La nanorods was prepared. • Exceptional high utilization ratio of La (0.98). • LPS was easily separated from solution. • The LPS can reduce total phosphorus to less than 10 μg/L in natural lake water. • Phosphate was effectively captured in a wide pH range of 4–10. As phosphate is one of the key causes of water eutrophication, its removal from aquatic ecosystems is essential. Adsorption methods have been widely used to remove phosphate from water bodies. However, most of the adsorbents are unstable and difficult to separate from solution. In this paper, we used a simple electrospinning method to prepare a new, well-dispersed, lanthanum (La)-based porous polyacrylonitrile nanofiber (LPS) with more active sites, which improve its phosphate removal efficiency. The maximum phosphate adsorption capacity on LPS was 218.5 mg P/g (La) (50.4 mg P/g). After complete adsorption, the P/La molar ratio on LPS was 0.98. After 48 h of oscillation, the leakage of La from LPS in deionized water was only 74 μg/L, effectively ruling out secondary pollution of the water-body. Moreover, unlike most adsorbents, LPS has the advantage that it can be readily isolated from water. After treatment with LPS, the total phosphorus (TP) of a water sample from Yangzonghai Lake (Yunnan, China) was reduced to 4.2 μg/L, a value lower than the concentration threshold of eutrophication (10 μg/L) set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the first category of the surface water environmental quality standard (10 μg/L) set by China for lakes and reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CDI technology effectively removed Pb2+ from slightly-polluted water. • The doping of NCDs improved the structural and electrochemical properties. • A monolithic mesh electrode was prepared by electrospinning method. • The Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-first-order model fitted the electrosorption. • The hydrated radius and valence affected the order of ion adsorption. Capacitive deionization (CDI) technology is an effective method for the removal of Pb2+ from slightly-polluted water. In this study, reduced graphene oxide/nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (rGO/NCDs) composites with different NCDs mass ratios were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method and the preparation process of CDI electrode was optimized by electrospinning method to obtain monolithic mesh-like structure. The results showed that the doping of NCDs improved the structural and electrochemical properties of the composites. rGO/25%NCDs composite possessed well-developed three-dimensional porous structure, high specific surface area (347.65 m2/g) and excellent specific capacitance (284.0 F/g). The prepared CDI electrodes had a fish scale-like graded interfacial structure, and this unique structure made the electrodes exhibit superhydrophilic property. The results of CDI tests showed that the electrosorption capacity of rGO/25%NCDs electrode could reach 19.26 mg/g which was higher than that of the pure rGO electrode and many reported electrodes, when the initial concentration of Pb2+ was 5 mg/L and the voltage was −1.0 V. The adsorption process was consistent with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. In addition, the study on the competitive adsorption in a co-existed system revealed that the electrosorption capacity was strongly dependent on the ionic valence rather than hydrated radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, adsorption of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as Diclofenac (DCF) on a commercial carbonaceous aerogel honeycomb monolith (NANOLIT®-NQ40) was ascertained. Based on, the overall design of an adsorption treatment should include a feasible regeneration process for the spent adsorbent. In this work, the adsorption/desorption process was ameliorated by coupling of electrochemical technology (anodic/cathodic polarisation). It was determined that the anodic polarisation enhanced the DCF removal and it was related with the applied voltage and the disposition of the electrodes into the bulk solution. Anodic polarisation at optimal conditions (voltage 0.9 V, electrodes gap 2.5 cm and electrolyte concentration higher than 1 mM) provoked an enhancement (around 30%) in the DCF adsorption rate. The spent aerogel regeneration method for the adsorbed or electro-adsorbed DCF was investigated and cathodic polarisation proved to be a viable regeneration alternative attaining the total regeneration of aerogel. The electro-desorption mechanism seemed to be linked to the generation of repulsive intermolecular forces in the aerogel surface. Finally, the sequential electro-adsorption/electro-desorption process was performed in successive cycles. The results confirmed the feasibility of this strategy, maintaining the efficiency with no structural changes in the monolith after several cycles being the electro-reversible adsorption of pollutants on aerogel a promising technology for the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater. [Display omitted] • Removal of Diclofenac (DCF) by adsorption on carbonaceous aerogel honeycomb monolith. • Amelioration of adsorption/desorption process of DCF by anodic/cathodic polarisation. • Optimization of DCF electro-adsorption process: electrode gap, electrolyte, voltage. • Successful sequential electro-adsorption/desorption cycles and monolith regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Novel electro-Fenton reactor with porous carbon electrodes and activated carbon (AC). • •OH electrochemical generation was observed in the absence of Fe(II). • Increased electrical conductivity and •OH production at high levels of AC packing. • The effect for simultaneous adsorption and electro-Fenton process was studied. • Promising process for potabilization or wastewater treatment at circumneutral pH. Although electro-Fenton wastewater treatment processes are particularly attractive for their high oxidation power, they are seriously limited by the low pH values that are required for the process, the subsequent neutralization of acid and the addition and removal of iron chemicals. In this work, a study on the design, characterization and performance of a novel electro-Fenton reactor, shows that there is a simultaneous effect that can overcome these limitations when combining activated carbon (AC) adsorption and electro-Fenton effects, while working at same time under neutral pH conditions. The reactor arrangement proposed, involves a cation exchange resin that continuously supplies Fe(II) ions to a chamber containing an AC adsorption bed that is positioned between two concentric porous carbon electrodes. Preliminary experiments assessing the 2e- electrochemical reduction of dissolved oxygen to produce H 2 O 2 in the reactor in the absence of AC, showed that while the concentrations of electro-generated peroxide are, as expected, proportional to the current density, they are inversely related to the current efficiency values. A fluorescence study of hydroxyl radical (•OH) production on the other hand, showed that in the absence and in the presence of iron ions, the corresponding concentration of •OH is 0.800 and 1.057 µM, respectively. Experiments with the reactor using varying amounts of AC, resulted not only in coupled adsorption effects characterized by a removal capacity that increases with the amount of AC, but also in increased electrical conductivity and higher electro-Fenton activity that is probably related to an improved electrical contact between the AC particles and the polarized carbonaceous electrode surface. The performance of the electro-Fenton reactor proposed in this work, was finally evaluated in terms of the removal of a model pollutant dye in both synthetic and real secondary effluents using different AC packed levels. Consistent with previous experiments, the fully compacted AC presented the higher removal rates due to the simultaneous effect of the adsorption of the pollutant and the coupled electro-Fenton degradation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]