THE KEY ROLE OF CHLORIDE - MEDIATED ELECTROCATALYTIC OXIDATION OF AZO DYE AT ACTIVE ANODE: NOVEL PERSPECTIVE OF BY-PRODUCTS VALORIZATION PATHWAY.
CHLORIDE-MEDIATED ELECTROCATALYSIS; DIMENSIONALLY STABLE ANODES; ADVANCED OXIDATION; RED METHYL; AZO DYE
The millions of metric tons of dyes produced annually by the industrial sector have become an increasing threat to the world ecology and the environment. In this regard, the technological advances in electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) play a crucial role in treating contaminated effluents. In this study, we propose employing chloride-mediated electrocatalytic oxidation of the sacrificial azo dye methylene red to efficiently generate short-chain carboxylic derivatives in aqueous environments. Cl- ionicity facilitates the rapid electrogeneration of highly reactive Cl•, which selectively attacks the organic matrix and accelerates the azo dye electrooxidation. Drawing from the analysis of reactive species and degradation intermediates, proposed degradation pathways were established for both Cl⁻-mediated and non-Cl⁻-mediated processes at 20 and 60 mA cm-². This study demonstrates that advanced chloride-mediated oxidation technology is a promising method for the degradation of the RM azo dye, with potential applications in treating wastewaters containing emerging azo dyes. This establishes a new strategy focused on the valorization of polluted waters through the electrogeneration of value-added products, contributing to sustainable development goals (SDGs) 7, 9 and 13 and supporting a circular economy “From waste to reuse”.