Author(s)

K. Carlson, J. Tamllos, A. Timmerman, M. Misra, S. Mohanty

Abstract

The electrocatalytic degradation and electrochemical detection of ibuprofen (IBU) in water was performed using titanium dioxide nanotube (TiO₂₋NT) arrays. IBU solutions with starting concentrations of 30 ppm were degraded by 50% in 15 min using a TiO₂₋NT array annealed in a reducing atmosphere. Inactivation of E.Coli 25922 was used to determine the radical species generated during degradation in both flow and batch reactors. Semi-quantitative radical concentrations were obtained by using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer to monitor the color change of an oxidation sensitive DPD dye. Electrochemical detection limits of 4 ppb IBU in 50 ppm NaCl were obtained using a gold coated TiO₂₋NT array annealed in oxygen. These results demonstrated the feasibility of a combined system that could be deployed for inline effluent treatment as these types of systems are robust, chemical free and could be automated for remote control.

Keywords

titanium dioxide nanotubes, emerging contaminants, electrocatalytic degradation