Development and application of an electrolysis cell prototype based on textile electrodes: dyestuff wastewater electrolysis

Abstract This research work studies the development of an electrochemical cell prototype based on textile electrodes for treating wastewater via electrochemical processes. The present prototype proposes a system that offers greater efficiency regarding the size/surface of electrodes in electrolysis processes. This prototype enables the treatment of large volumes of dissolution. Moreover, this prototype could surface modify textile electrodes by an electrochemical process in the same cell, specifically, an electrochemically reduced graphene oxide intermediate layer and an outer layer of electrochemically reduced metal nanoparticles are proposed. Surface modification by reduced graphene oxide increase the textile electrode’s stability, conductivity, and specific surface, whilst Pt nanoparticles increase electroactivity. Amaranth was selected to validate the use of this prototype in treating emerging pollutants. This is an azoic dye with a simple structure. Various analytical techniques demonstrate that colour removal takes place with an electrical energy consumption of between 0.29 and 4.66 kWh m −3 (depending on the operational specifications of the electrolysis performed). Once the colour is removed, total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand decreases by up to 49% and 37%, respectively. Graphical abstract