Study of the Electrochemical Removal of Bromophenol Blue using a Titanium electrode Modified with a Mixture of Iridium and Ruthenium Oxides

Abstract

In this study, the anode is a titanium electrode modified with a mixture of iridium and ruthenium oxides and is used to remove bromophenol blue dye. This anode is highly effective in removing this type of dye from aqueous samples due to its high ability to decompose complex organic pollutants in water, such as bromophenol blue dye.  These electrodes consist of a thin layer of IrO2-RuO2 on the surface of titanium. The special features of these electrodes include high corrosion resistance in harsh environments, including acidic, alkaline, and saline solutions. The SEM, EDS, and EDS-MAP images show that titanium, ruthenium, iridium, and oxygen elements are distributed non-uniformly on the surface of the sample. The strong titanium peaks in the EDS indicate the predominant presence of this element in the sample. The strong oxygen peak indicates the presence of oxides of these elements in the coating. The results also showed that the best removal coefficient was achieved at a concentration of bromophenol blue dye = 30 mg/L, two-electrode chronoamperometry technique, applied voltage 5 V, pH = 4, and KCl = 0.1 M. The removal efficiency of bromophenol blue dye was achieved when using chronoamperometry on three electrodes and chronoamperometry on two electrodes, but the best removal efficiency was when using chronoamperometry on two electrodes, where it was (41.81%, 74.62%, 85.40%, 98.92%, 100%) at 6 minutes, and the removal efficiency increased to (61.01%, 83.44%, 100%, 100%, 100%) after 10 minutes when applying a current of (2.0, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5.0) V, respectively. This means that the higher the applied current and the longer the contact time between the electrodes, the higher the removal efficiency. These electrodes require regular maintenance to maintain their optimal performance. These electrodes are more expensive than other electrodes, but their long life and high efficiency make them a worthwhile investment in the long run. These electrodes provide excellent performance and high efficiency in a wide range of industrial applications, such as the chlor-alkali industry, electrolyte industry, water treatment, battery industry, and organic electrolysis.