Development of new gas diffusion electrode consisting of carbon from biomass precursors and their application for disinfection by hydrogen peroxide electrogenerated

• Grant number: 23/08720-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Luis Augusto Martins Ruotolo
• Grantee: Taynara Oliveira Silva
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). 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): 24/18076-8 - Sustainable Biomass Nanocarbons Produced in Vacuum Tubular Furnace and its Application for Electrochemical Production of Hydrogen Peroxide, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

In recent years, the study of the use of biomass for various applications has been growing exponentially in Brazil due to the large volumes generated by various production sectors, especially the generation of sugarcane bagasse by the sugar-alcohol sector. The search for new products for biomass aiming to transform it into value-added products motivated this proposal to use this low cost carbonaceous material for the development of gas diffusion electrode (GDE) aiming at the electro generation of the oxidant H2O2 and its application for disinfection of water contaminated by bacteria. This project will address the deactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacterium chosen as a model and that has strains that can be extremely harmful to human health. From the carbonization and activation of the bagasse in a pyrolysis reactor under special conditions (using CO2 and/or KOH) will be produced the activated carbon (AC) to be used in the construction of the GDE. In this step, the pyrolysis and activation conditions will be established aiming to customize the properties of the AC and to obtain surface functional groups that promote the H2O2 production reaction in situ by the GDE. The AC will be characterized by techniques such as thermogravimetry, elemental analysis, N2 physisorption, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), while the GDE will be analyzed and characterized by voltammetric techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. After understanding and optimizing the H2O2 electrosynthesis step in GDE, the best electrode obtained, and the best generation condition will be employed for E. Coli deactivation and water disinfection under optimized operating conditions. The disinfection will be evaluated by following the growth of bacterial colonies in chromogenic culture medium.

Scientific publications

(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)

SANTOS, ANDERSON M.; SILVA, TAYNARA O.; FEITOSA, MARIA H. A.; OLIVEIRA, IGOR G. S.; WONG, ADEMAR; SOUTO, ROBSON S.; MORAES, FERNANDO C.; RUOTOLO, LUIS A. M.; BARROS, WILLYAM R. P.; LANZA, MARCOS R. V.. Using a sensitive screen-printed electrode based on printex L6 and polyaniline activated carbon for piroxicam detection. Talanta, v. 285, p. 9-pg., 2024-12-20. (18/22210-0, 19/06650-3, 23/14335-6, 23/08720-4, 22/12895-1)

SILVA, TAYNARA O.; SANTOS, GESSICA O. S.; LANZA, MARCOS ROBERTO V.; RUOTOLO, LUIS AUGUSTO M.. Balancing selectivity and overpotential in PAC-based gas diffusion electrodes for H₂O₂-based advanced oxidation process toward organic compound degradation. Chemical Engineering Science, v. 319, p. 12-pg., 2026-07-31. (20/02743-4, 23/08720-4, 22/12895-1)