Zhao, LelePadilla, José A.Xuriguera Martín, María ElenaCabot Julià, Pere-LluísBrillas, EnricSirés Sadornil, Ignacio2024-10-222024-09-020045-6535https://hdl.handle.net/2445/215974Conventional electro-Fenton (EF) process at acidic pH ∼3 is recognized as a highly effective strategy to degrade organic pollutants; however, homogeneous metal catalysts cannot be employed in more alkaline media. To overcome this limitation, pyrolytic derivatives from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising heterogeneous catalysts. Cu-based MOFs were prepared using trimesic acid as the organic ligand and different pyrolysis conditions, yielding a set of nano-Cu/C catalysts that were analyzed by conventional methods. Among them, XPS revealed the surface of the Cu/C-A2-Ar/H2 catalyst was slightly oxidized to Cu(I) and, combined with XRD and HRTEM data, it can be concluded that the catalyst presents a core-shell structure where metallic copper is embedded in a carbon layer. The antihistamine diphenhydramine (DPH), spiked into either synthetic Na2SO4 solutions or actual urban wastewater, was treated in an undivided electrolytic cell equipped with a DSA-Cl2 anode and a commercial air-diffusion cathode able to electrogenerate H2O2. Using Cu/C as suspended catalyst, DPH was completely degraded in both media at pH 6–8, outperforming the EF process with Fe2+ catalyst at pH 3 in terms of degradation rate and mineralization degree thanks to the absence of refractory Fe(III)-carboxylate complexes that typically decelerate the TOC abatement. From the by-products detected by GC/MS, a reaction sequence for DPH mineralization is proposed.11 p.application/pdfengcc-by-nc-nd (c) Elsevier Ltd, 2024http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Depuració de l'aiguaElectroquímicaOxidacióWater purificationElectrochemistryOxidationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article7502182024-10-22info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess