Fabrication and electrocatalytic performance of a novel particle electrode

•The particle electrodes were prepared using steel slag as raw material•The particles could be catalyst of electro-Fenton oxidation•This work offers a promising way for “using waste to treat waste”

A novel type of particle electrode was developed from steel slag waste. The particle electrodes were supposed to be heterogeneous catalyst for electro-Fenton oxidation as well. The particle electrodes were characterized by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometer. These novel particle electrodes displayed excellent catalytic activity when degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) in a three dimensional electrolysis cell. They removed 82.4% and 65.45% RhB with and without air supply in 60 min, which were much more effective than the reference material ceramic particle. Furthermore, the particle electrodes exhibited satisfactory cyclic performance.