High production of CH(4) and H(2) by reducing PET waste water using a non-diaphragm-based electrochemical method

In recent years, the worldwide use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has increased exponentially. PET wastewater contains ethylene glycol (EG) and terephthalic acid (TPA). In this study, we present a unique method for producing combustible gases like CH(4) and H(2) from PET wastewater by electrochemical reaction of EG and TPA. The non-diaphragm-based electrochemical (NDE) method was used to treat PET wastewater. The electrochemical removal of EG and TPA from PET wastewater was examined and the optimal conditions for their reduction to CH(4) and H(2) were determined. Using the proposed system, 99.9% of the EG and TPA present in the PET wastewater samples were degraded to produce CH(4) and H(2), at applied voltages lower than 5 V. The highest Faradaic efficiency achieved for EG and TPA reduction was 62.2% (CH(4), 25.6%; H(2), 36.6%), at an applied voltage of 0.8 V. Remarkably, CH(4) was produced from EG decomposition and H(2) from TPA decomposition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported instance of CH(4) and H(2) production from EG and TPA, respectively. The electrochemical reductive treatment will be an important discovery for reducing water contamination and replacing fossil fuels with respect to generating green energy.