Chitosan Supports Boosting NiCo2O4 for Catalyzed Urea Electrochemical Removal Application

Currently, wastewater containing high urea levels poses a significant risk to human health. Else, electrocatalytic methodologies have the potential to transform urea present in urea-rich wastewater into hydrogen, thereby contributing towards environmental conservation and facilitating the production of sustainable energy. The characterization of the NiCo2O4@chitosan catalyst was performed by various analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the activity of electrodes toward urea removal was investigated by several electrochemical techniques. As a function of current density, the performance of the modified NiCo2O4@chitosan surface was employed to remove urea using electrochemical oxidation. Consequently, the current density measurement was 43 mA cm(-2) in a solution of 1.0 M urea and 1.0 M KOH. Different kinetic characteristics were investigated, including charge transfer coefficient (a), Tafel slope (29 mV dec(-1)), diffusion coefficient (1.87 x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1)), and surface coverage 4.29 x 10(-9) mol cm(-2). The electrode showed high stability whereas it lost 10.4% of its initial current after 5 h of urea oxidation.

Automated summary

Wastewater with high urea levels poses a significant risk to human health. The use of the NiCo2O4@chitosan catalyst can transform urea in wastewater into hydrogen, contributing to environmental conservation and sustainable energy production.