Electrolytic trichloroethene degradation using mixed metal oxide coated titanium mesh electrodes

Electrochemical systems provide a low cost, versatile, and controllable platform to potentially treat contaminants in water, including chlorinated solvents. Relative to bare metal or noble metal amended materials, dimensionally stable electrode materials such as mixed metal oxide coated titanium (Ti/MMO) have advantages in terms of stability and cost, important factors for sustainable remediation solutions. Here, we report the use of Ti/MMO as an effective cathode substrate for treatment of trichloroethene (TCE). TCE degradation in a batch reactor was measured as the decrease of TCE concentration over time and the corresponding evolution of chloride; notably, this occurred without the formation of commonly encountered chlorinated intermediates. The reaction was initiated when Ti/MMO cathode potentials were less than −0.8 V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode, and the rate of TCE degradation increased linearly with progressively more negative potentials. The maximum pseudo-first-order heterogeneous rate constant was approximately 0.05 cm min−1, which is comparable to more commonly used cathode materials such as nickel. In laboratory-scale flow-though column reactors designed to simulate permeable reactive barriers (PRBs), TCE concentrations were reduced by 80–90%. The extent of TCE flux reduction increased with the applied potential difference across the electrodes and was largely insensitive to the spacing distance between the electrodes. This is the first report of the electrochemical reduction of a chlorinated organic contaminant at a Ti/MMO cathode, and these results support the use of this material in PRBs as a possible approach to manage TCE plume migration.