Self-powered decentralized water treatment clean boat with electrochemical fenton system for antibiotic remediation in natural water bodies

Decentralized solutions for the low-cost and sustainable treatment of large-scale natural water bodies contaminated with organic pollutants are urgently needed. This study introduces a self-powered clean boat using a photovoltaic (PV)-driven electrochemical Fenton system, featuring a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) and a quasi-solid hydrogel electrolyte. This setup enables in-situ oxygen reduction in low-conductivity lake water, achieving a high H₂O₂ production rate of 290 ± 10 mg L^- ¹ h^-1. The hydrogel, containing Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ pairs, enriches ion concentration, enhances conductivity, and triggers the Fenton reaction to convert H₂O₂ into •OH radicals for efficient antibiotic degradation. The boat achieved a 99.4% removal rate for tetracycline (TC) at 1 mg L^-1 in contaminated water within 3 h, demonstrating over 98% removal efficiency for other common antibiotics. This system integrates clean energy use, H₂O₂ production, Fenton reaction activation, and pollutant degradation, addressing the limitations of conventional electrochemical methods in low-conductivity waters. It offers a sustainable solution for decentralized water treatment in pilot-scale experiments with low unique energy consumption (0.43 kWh mg-¹) by solar energy.