Fast and efficient oxidation of formaldehyde in wastewater via the Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process tuned by thermo-electrochemistry

This paper reports the adaptation of the Solar Thermal Electrochemical Process (STEP) for the treatment of formaldehyde in wastewater. The combination of thermochemistry and electrochemistry makes the STEP-formaldehyde treatment highly efficient with rapid kinetics. Indoor experimental results showed that the working potential is decreased and the oxidation rate is increased by raising the temperature of the reactor. Outdoor pilot tests demonstrated that the STEP-formaldehyde oxidation system can work smartly and efficiently without input of energy other than sunlight and without human intervention. The mechanism and kinetics were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the in-time sampling and monitoring method. A robotic system is proposed for rapid treatment of formaldehyde using only solar energy. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.