Facilely Prepared Cl-Doped Graphene as an Efficient Anode for the Electrochemical Catalytic Degradation of Acetaminophen

Abstract

The application of electrochemical catalytic oxidation in wastewater treatment with powerful Cldoped graphene as an anode has been discussed as a novel approach to degrade acetaminophen effectively. The characteristics of Cl-doped graphene that were related to Cl loading content and microscopic morphology were analyzed by using several instruments, and the defects created by Cl doping were identified. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance detection were proposed to clarify the mechanism underlying the production of active free radicals by Cldopedgraphene. The degradation results indicated that efficiency increased with the percentage of Cl atoms doped into the graphene. The best degradation efficiency of acetaminophen could reach 98% when Cl-GN-12 was used. In the process of electrocatalytic oxidation, O•− 2, and active chlorine, as the main active species, persistently attacked acetaminophen into open-ring intermediates, such as 4-chlororesorcinol, and finally into CO2 and H2O.