Removal of bisphenol A from aqueous solutions by electrochemical polymerization on a carbon aerogel electrode

• Electrochemical oxidation of bisphenol A results in the deposition of electropolymerized film on the electrode surface.
• Carbon aerogel that encompasses a sufficient electrochemical potential window can be an effective electrode material.
• Electrochemical removal of bisphenol A can be successfully achieved by using constant potentials or a cyclic potential.
• Generation of toxic intermediates could be suppressed during the polymerization process.

This study investigates the removal of bisphenol A from aqueous solutions based on electrochemical polymerization on a carbon aerogel electrode via electrochemical oxidation. The electrochemical behaviors of bisphenol A on the glassy carbon and carbon aerogel electrodes were determined using cyclic voltammetry measurements. Results show that the electrochemical oxidation of bisphenol A leads to the formation of electropolymerized poly(bisphenol A) film on the electrode surface, accompanied by the passivation of carbon electrodes. The electrochemical removal of bisphenol A was carried out using a carbon aerogel electrode with a large specific surface area (445  m2/g) and mesoporosity. By using constant potentials or a cyclic potential in the range of 0.0–0.8 V, the electrochemical polymerization via phenoxy radicals can be successfully applied to separate bisphenol A from water. For treating 0.1 mM bisphenol A in neutral pH solution, the removal capacity using potential cycling can be enhanced to 0.029 mmol/g, which was much higher than that at open-circuit adsorption (0.010 mmol/g). Additionally, the generation of toxic intermediates could be suppressed during the polymerization process. Therefore, the results manifest the promising potential of electrochemical polymerization to remove bisphenol A at low concentrations as a means of water purification.