Coating of ZnO/Zn Photoanode Using Electrochemical Deposition (ECD) Method and Optimization of Dual Chamber Photocatalytic Fuel Cell (DCPFC) in Treating Organic Wastewater and Power Generation

• Main Author: Antonio Choon Kiat, Niang
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: Wiley-VCH GmbH, Weinheim 2023
• Subjects: QD Chemistry
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/47410/; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21967350; https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202202366

Due to the rapid economic development, the photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) could be one of the alternatives for wastewater treatment and power generation. The PFC technology remained in laboratory scale as the power generation and wastewater treatment rate were insufficient for daily application despite showing great effectiveness. In this project, the ZnO/Zn photoanode was produced via electrochemical deposition (ECD) method to investigate the performance of treating methyl red dye solution and palm oil mill effluent (POME). Besides, a dual chamber photocatalytic fuel cell (DCPFC) was fabricated to study the performance in treating methyl red dye solution and POME. In the study, 10 ppm methyl red dye solution at pH 4 and 250 mL/L of NaClO solution concentration in DCPFC showed the highest degradation rate (138 minutes) and power density (209.83 mW/cm2) using ECD method prepared ZnO/Zn photoanode compared to ultrasonicate method prepared ZnO/Zn photoanode (217 minutes and 134.67 mW/cm2). The study continued by replacing the methyl red dye solution with POME. From the study, the DCPFC using ECD method prepared ZnO/Zn photoanode showed complete degradation of pH 4 25% POME and sulphuric acid added as additive at the 8th hour with the power density at 236.312 mW/cm2. The ECD method prepared ZnO/Zn photoanode and DCPFC provided a new insight into the real application of PFC with greater performance.