Use of sewage treatment sludge in the synthesis of active carbon modified with nanostructured oxides (Ce, Nb, Ta, and Pd ) and its application in the electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide

• Grant number: 21/12053-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza
• Grantee: Julio César Lourenço
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/12895-1 - Advanced processes for the degradation of emerging pollutants: catalytic materials, electroanalytical sensors and scientific dissemination, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/04230-2 - Boosting electrochemical H2O2 generation from waste-derived activated carbon using Pd and Pt catalyst modification, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Stabilized sludge is the final waste of a production chain or from processes and is mostly thrown into landfills, without any type of viable reuse, and this project is therefore important for the environmental area, which can enable reuse of these wastes. In this point, the proposed project stands out, as it brings environmental appeal to the study where an application for such waste can become viable. The innovation of this project is both associated with the use of solid waste to obtain electrode material for pollution control processes, as well as the modification of these materials with ternary oxides to maximize H2O2 generation reactions, since only the use of oxides with 1 or 2 metals only, and it has been verified that the use of binary oxides can lead to an increase in the generation of H2O2.The project is focused on obtaining active carbon from the class II solid waste, specifically sewage treatment plant sludge, and its modification with nanostructured ternary oxides of the MxOy type, (where the metal M is composed of 3 of the following elements chemicals: Ce, Nb, Ta, and Pd), selection of the best modifiers in terms of H2O2 generation by electrochemical evaluation and characterization of these best modifiers, where the best materials will be used in the manufacture of gaseous diffusion electrodes and the generated H2O2 will be quantified by spectrophotometric technique. The results obtained from the generation of H2O2 with the gas diffusion electrodes will be compared to the results obtained with a gas diffusion electrode made with a commercial activated and modified carbon in order to prove the validity of using this solid residue for this purpose.

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FORTUNATO, GUILHERME V.; JUNG, DANIELE C.; LOURENCO, JULIO C.; BHUYAN, PALLABI; CHOI, JI SIK; YOU, XIANGYU; LIM, SUMIN; MELCHIONNA, MICHELE; SEZEN, HIKMET; HOFMANN, JAN P.; et al. Benchmarking the Stability of State-of-the-Art H₂O₂ Electrocatalysts under Acidic Conditions. ACS CATALYSIS, v. 15, n. 11, p. 11-pg., 2025-05-10. (21/12053-8, 22/12895-1, 23/04230-2, 19/04421-7, 21/14194-8)

DE MORAES, NICOLAS PERCIANI; LOURENCO, JULIO CESAR; ROCHA, ROBSON DA SILVA; RODRIGUES, LIANA ALVARES; LANZA, MARCOS ROBERTO DE VASCONCELOS. Sustainable cellulose/kraft lignin carbon xerogel applied to H2O2 electrogeneration using gas diffusion electrodes: Exploring the degradation of sulfamerazine in H2O2-based processes. BIOMASS & BIOENERGY, v. 194, p. 11-pg., 2025-03-01. (14/50945-4, 22/12895-1, 22/04058-2, 17/10118-0, 21/12053-8)

VALIM, R. B.; LOURENCO, J. C.; TREVELIN, L. C.; SIQUEIRA, A. F.; RODRIGUES, L. A.; ROCHA, R. S.; LANZA, M. R. V.. Using GDE modified with mixed Ru-Nb oxides for Ciprofloxacin degradation via the electro-Fenton process and its prediction model. JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING, v. 55, p. 10-pg., 2023-10-01. (21/12053-8, 17/10118-0, 13/02762-5, 16/12597-0)

VALIM, RICARDO BERTHOLO; CARNEIRO, JUSSARA FERNANDES; LOURENCO, JULIO CESAR; HAMMER, PETER; DOS SANTOS, MAURO COELHO; RODRIGUES, LIANA ALVARES; BERTAZZOLI, RODNEI; LANZA, MARCOS ROBERTO DE VASCONCELOS; ROCHA, ROBSON DA SILVA. Synthesis of Nb₂O₅/C for H₂O₂ electrogeneration and its application for the degradation of levofloxacin. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, v. N/A, p. 15-pg., 2023-08-29. (14/50945-4, 17/10118-0, 11/14314-1, 19/00239-0, 13/02762-5, 21/12053-8)

SPERANDIO, D. C.; LOURENCO, J. C.; NOGUEIRA, B.; KRONKA, M. S.; FORTUNATO, G. V.; SIQUEIRA, A. F.; DE SIERVO, A.; RODRIGUES, L. A.; RODRIGO, M. A.; LANZA, M. R. V.; et al. Carbon powder from sugarcane bagasse: Controlled synthesis for on-demand H2O2 electrogeneration. RENEWABLE ENERGY, v. 244, p. 13-pg., 2025-05-01. (19/04421-7, 21/13769-7, 23/12207-0, 17/23464-3, 22/12895-1, 21/12053-8)

PORTO, TULIO PINHEIRO; LOURENCO, JULIO CESAR; NOGUEIRA, BEATRIZ; DE MORAES, NICOLAS PERCIANI; SOUTO, ROBSON DA SILVA; SIQUEIRA, ADRIANO FRANCISCO; RODRIGUES, LIANA ALVARES; LANZA, MARCOS ROBERTO DE VASCONCELOS; ROCHA, ROBSON DA SILVA. Synthesis of activated carbon from sugarcane bagasse using blends of hydroxides for maximizing reaction targeted at obtaining hydrogen peroxide. BIOMASS & BIOENERGY, v. 191, p. 11-pg., 2024-10-18. (21/12053-8, 23/04230-2, 22/12895-1, 23/07750-7, 22/04058-2, 23/12207-0, 21/14194-8)

CHOI, JI SIK; FORTUNATO, GUILHERME V.; JUNG, DANIELE C.; LOURENCO, JULIO C.; LANZA, MARCOS R. V.; LEDENDECKER, MARC. Catalyst durability in electrocatalytic H₂O₂ production: key factors and challenges. NANOSCALE HORIZONS, v. 9, n. 8, p. 12-pg., 2024-05-29. (21/12053-8, 23/04230-2, 17/10118-0, 19/04421-7, 21/14194-8)

TREVELIN, L. C.; VALIM, R. B.; LOURENCO, J. C.; DE SIERVO, A.; ROCHA, R. S.; LANZA, M. R. V.. Using ZrNb and ZrMo oxide nanoparticles as catalytic activity boosters supported on Printex L6 carbon for H2O2 production. ADVANCED POWDER TECHNOLOGY, v. 34, n. 9, p. 10-pg., 2023-06-07. (14/50945-4, 16/12597-0, 17/10118-0, 13/02762-5, 21/12053-8)