Electrode Materials Comparison for Hydrogen Production from Wastewater Electrolysis of Spiked Secondary Effluent

Giorgio Antonini, Javier Ordonez-Loza, Jithin Mathew, Joshua Cullen, Christopher Muller, Ahmed Al-Omari, Katherine Bell, Domenico Santoro and Joshua M. Pearce ()
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Giorgio Antonini: Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Javier Ordonez-Loza: Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Jithin Mathew: Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Joshua Cullen: Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Christopher Muller: Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA
Ahmed Al-Omari: Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA
Katherine Bell: Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, USA
Domenico Santoro: Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
Joshua M. Pearce: Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Electrochemical methods show promise for wastewater treatment by removing pollutants, recovering nutrients, and generating hydrogen. To scale this technology, durable and affordable electrode materials are needed. This study evaluates aluminum 6061-T6, titanium grade II, ductile iron, and magnesium to understand their performance in promoting precipitation, gas production, and treating wastewater under several conditions. Electrodes were tested with ammonia-, magnesium-, and phosphate-spiked wastewater samples with induced precipitation at concentrations of 0.033 mol/L and 0.0033 mol/L; the liquid, gas, and precipitation phases were characterized. The results showed up to 35% reduction in ammonia, total phosphate recovery, and up to 70% reduction in magnesium. The cell generates hydrogen with purity levels of 95.6%, 96.1%, 87.9%, and 93.5% when utilizing iron, aluminum, titanium, and magnesium electrodes, respectively. The analyses of precipitants showed formation of vivianite crystals from iron, struvite precipitation from magnesium, and berlinite from aluminum. Overall, these results hold substantial promise for hydrogen generation from wastewater and potential for nutrient recovery and treatment.

Keywords: wastewater treatment; electrolysis; electrode materials; nutrient recovery; hydrogen production (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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