Facile preparation of a novel catalytic particle electrode from sewage sludge and its electrocatalytic performance in three-dimensional heterogeneous electro-Fenton

A novel type of catalytic particle electrode (SAC-Fe) was developed from sewage sludge and iron sludge via a facile method. The catalytic particle electrodes (CPEs) were also supposed to be heterogeneous catalyst for electro-Fenton (EF). The CPEs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SAC-Fe showed superior porous structure and higher adsorption capacity and catalytic activity than Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles. Catechol and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency can reach 96.7% and 88.3% after three-dimensional (3D) EF with SAC-Fe as CPEs. A possible mechanism was deduced based on adsorption tests and radicals detection. Meanwhile, the stability and reusability of the CPEs were evaluated.