Pollutant Decomposition with Simultaneous Generation of Hydrogen and Electricity in a Photogalvanic Reactor

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Abstract
A small laboratory‐scale reactor employing a nanocrystalline titanium dioxide anode and a platinum black cathode was evaluated for pollutant decomposition with simultaneous reduction of water to produce hydrogen. The reactor requires only light as an energy input, and operates as a photogalvanic cell, producing electricity. Oxidative photodegradation of 4‐chlorophenol, 2,4,5‐trichlorophenol, and 4,4′‐dichlorobiphenyl were achieved. Solutions of 0.1 mM chlorophenols were decomposed in 2 to 3 h, with an average turnover of . Complete degradation of chlorophenols to carbon dioxide, water, and chloride ion was achieved in less than 6 h. Poorly water soluble 4,4′‐dichlorobiphenyl adsorbed onto soil and suspended in a pH 13 anode solution was also decomposed. Hydrogen gas was produced at the cathode at a rate 1.4 ml h−1 cm−2 of electrode when using a pH 13 anode solution and a pH 1 cathode solution. The average reactor potential under these conditions was 1.53 V. Power output was 0.36 mW at a current density of 2 mA cm−2.

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