• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.78-83
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• 2014

In this research, we evaluated the performance and characteristics of carbon supported PtM (M = Ni and Y) alloy catalysts (PtM/Cs) synthesized by a modified polyol method. With the PtM/Cs employed as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of cathodes in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), their catalytic and ORR activities and electrical performance were investigated and compared with those of commercial Pt/C. Their particle sizes, particle distributions and electrochemically active surface areas (EAS) were measured by TEM and cyclic voltammetry (CV), while their ORR activity and electrical performance were explored using linear sweeping voltammetries with rotating disk electrodes and rotating ring-disk electrodes as well as PEMFC single cell tests. TEM and CV measurements show that PtM/Cs have the compatible particle size and EAS with Pt/C. When it comes to ORR activity, PtM/C showed the equivalent or better half-wave potential, kinetic current density, transferred electron number per oxygen molecule and $H_2O_2$ production(%) to or than commerical Pt/C. Based on results gained by the three electrode tests, when the PEMFC single cell tests were carried out, the current density measured at 0.6 V and maximum power density of PEMFC single cell adopting PtM/C catalysts were better than those adopting Pt/C catalyst. It is therefore concluded that PtM/C catalysts synthesized by modified polyol can result in the equivalent or better ORR catalytic capability and PEMFC performance to or than commercial Pt/C catalyst.

• Clean Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.16-28
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• 2016

Textile industry is considered as one of the most polluting sectors in terms of effluent composition and volume of discharge. It is well known that the effluents from textile dying industry contain not only chromatic substances but also large amounts of organic compounds and insolubles. The azo dyes generate huge amount of pollutions among many types of pigments. In general, the electrochemical treatments, separating colors and organic materials by oxidation and reduction on electrode surfaces, are regarded as simpler and faster processes for removal of pollutants compared to other wastewater treatments. In this paper the electrochemical degradation characteristics of dye wastewater containing CI Direct Blue 15 were analyzed. The experiments were performed with various anode materials, such as RuO₂/Ti, PtO₂/Ti, IrO₂/Ti and graphite, with stainless steel for cathode. The optimal anode material was located by changing operating conditions like electrolyte concentration, current density, reaction temperature and initial pH. The degradation efficiency of dye wastewater increased in proportion to the electrolyte concentration and the current density for all anode materials, while the temperature effect was dependent on the kind. The performance orders of anode materials were RuO₂/Ti > PtO₂/Ti > IrO₂/Ti > graphite in acid condition and RuO₂/Ti > IrO₂/Ti > PtO₂/Ti > graphite in neutral and basic conditions. As a result, RuO₂/Ti demonstrated the best performance as an anode material for the electrochemical treatment of dye wastewater.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.1078-1086
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• 1996

The peroxo-polytungstic acid was formed by the direct reaction of tungsten powder with the hydrogen peroxide solution. Peroxo-polytungstic powder were prepared by rotary evaporator using the fabricated on to ITO coated glass as substrate by dip-coating method using $2g/10mL(W-IPA/H_2O)$ sol solution. A substrate was dipped into the sol solution and after a meniscus had settled, the substrate was withdrawn at a constant rate of the 3mm/sec. Thicker layer could be built up by repeated dipping/post-treatment 15 times cycles. The layers dried at the temperature of $65{\sim}70^{\circ}C$ during the withdrawn process, and then tungsten oxides thin film was formed by final heating treatment at the temperature of $230{\sim}240^{\circ}C$ for 30min. A linear rotation between the thickness of thin film and the number of dipping/post-treatment cycles for tungsten oxides thin films made by dip-coating was found. The thickness of thin film had $60{\AA}$ after one dipping. From the patterns of XRD, the structure of tungsten oxides thin film identified as amorphous one and from the photographs of SEM, the defects and the moderate cracks were observed on the tungsten oxides thin film, but the homogeneous surface of thin films were mostly appeared. The electrochemical characteristic of the $ITO/WO_3$ thin film electrode were confirmed by the cyclic voltammetry and the cathodic Tafel polaization method. The coloring bleaching processes were clearly repeated up to several hundreds cycles by multiple cyclic voltammetry, but the dissolved phenomenon of thin film revealed in $H_2SO_4$ solution was observed due to the decrease of the current densities. The diffusion coefficient was calculated from irreversible Randles-Sevick equation from the data obtained by the cyclic voltammetry with various scan rates.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 1989

Reduction and equilibrium of vanadium-DTPA (DTPA = diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, $H_5A$) complexes at mercury electrodes are studied in 0.5M $NaClO_4$ aqueous solution at 3.2 < pH < 10.5 and 25$^{\circ}$C. At 3.2 < pH < 5.9, the reduction reaction is $V{\cdot}A^{2-}+H^-+e^-=V{\cdot}HA^{2-}$, while at 5.9 < pH < 10.5 it is $V{\cdot}A^{2-}+H^-+e^-=V{\cdot}A^{3-}$. The stability constants of $V{\cdot}HA^{2-}$ and $V{\cdot}A^{3-}$ are found to be $6.46{\times}10^{9}$ and $3.09{\times}10^{14}$, respectively. V(IV)-DTPA undergoes stepwise complexation as $VO^{2+}+H_2A^{3-}=VO{\cdot}HA^{2+}H^{+}$ and $VO{\cdot}HA^{2-}=VO{\cdot}A^{3+}+H$, where acidity constant of $VO{\cdot}HA^{2-}$- is pKa = 7.15. Stability constants of $VO{\cdot}HA^{2-}$ and $VO{\cdot}A^{3-}$ are found to be $1.41{\times}10^{14}$ and $3.80{\times}10^{17}$, respectively. It is detected that $VO^{2+}-DATA$ is reduced irreversibly to $VO^{2-}$ with the transfer coefficient of $\alpha$ = 0.43. At more cathodic overpotential, the reduction is stepwise as V(IV)${\to}$V(III)${\to}$V(II). The first one corresponds to $VO{\cdot}HA^{2-}+e^{-}{\to}VO{\cdot}HA{3+}$ at 3.2 < pH < 7.2 and $VO{\cdot}A^{3-}+e^{-}{\to}VO{\cdot}A^{4-}$ at 7.2 < pH < 10.5. The second is identical to that of V(III). Diffusion coefficients of $VO{\cdot}HA^{2-}$ and $VO{\cdot}A^{3-}$ are found to be $(9.0{\pm}0.3){\times}10^{-6}cm^2/s$ and $(5.9{\pm}0.4){\times}10^{-6}cm^2/ses$, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.279-290
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• 2016

The performance of upflow anaerobic bioelectrochemical reactor (UABE), equipped with electrodes (anode and cathode) inside the upflow anaerobic reactor, was compared to that of upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor for the treatment of acidic distillery wastewater. The UASB was stable in pH, alkalinity and VFAs until the organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.0 g COD/L.d, but it became unstable over 4.0 g COD/L.d. As a response to the abrupt doubling in OLR, the perturbation in the state variables for the UABE was smaller, compared to the UASB, and quickly recovered. The UABE stability was better than the UASB at higher OLR of 4.0-8.0 g COD/L.d, and the UABE showed better performance in specific methane production rate (2,076mL $CH_4/L.d$), methane content in biogas (66.8%), and COD removal efficiency (82.3%) at 8.0 g COD/L.d than the UASB. The maximum methane yield in UABE was about 407mL/g $COD_r$ at 4.0 g COD/L.d, which was considerably higher than about $282mL/g\;COD_r$ in UASB. The rate limiting step for the bioelectrochemical reaction in UABE was the oxidation of organic matter on the anode surface, and the electrode reactions were considerably affected by the pH at 8.0 g COD/L.d of high OLR. The maximum energy efficiency of UABE was 99.5%, at 4.0 g COD/L.d of OLR. The UABE can be an advanced high rate anaerobic process for the treatment of acidic distillery wastewater.