| Title |
Production of a nickel-based catalyst for urea electrooxidation using spent batteries as raw material: Electrochemical synthesis and implications from a circular economy stand-point |
| ID_Doc |
28201 |
| Authors |
Rueda, H; Arenas, M; Vargas-Balda, R; Blanco, S; Delvasto, P |
| Title |
Production of a nickel-based catalyst for urea electrooxidation using spent batteries as raw material: Electrochemical synthesis and implications from a circular economy stand-point |
| Year |
2021 |
| Published |
|
| DOI |
10.1016/j.susmat.2021.e00296 |
| Abstract |
In this work, we leached the electrochemically active powder (black mass) from spent Ni-MH batteries in an aqueous solution containing citric add and hydrogen peroxide. The obtained multimetallic solution was chemically analyzed and its speciation simulated via thermodynamic software. Electrolysis of the leachate rendered a new metal coating containing Ni, Zn and Co on a copper substrate. The electrochemical stability of the alloycoated electrode was evaluated in a 1 M KOH solution through cyclic voltammetry analysis and compared against a pure-nickel electrode standard. Moreover, the catalytic capacity of the alloyed electrode was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric analysis using a mixture of 1 M KOH and 0.3 M urea. During the electrooxidation of urea, the Ni-Zn-Co coated electrode exhibited better performance than the pure-nickel catalytic electrode used as standard, with a current response 1.8 times higher than pure nickel and 9.4% lower energy consumption than pure nickel. This promising result opens the possibility for targeting the manufacturing of catalytic electrodes as a viable end-user of the recovered metal values contained in spent batteries. As a result, a conceptual process flow diagram was devised for this novel valorization procedure. The application of these alloyed electrodes for the remediation of urea-containing water was conceptually proposed, as well. From a circular economy standpoint, this work describes an industrial ecosystem involving the life cycle of Ni-MH batteries, the electroplating industrial process, and the environmental services. Consequently, an innovative and symbiotic materials flow was depicted for wastewater treatment based on electrooxidation procedures. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
| Author Keywords |
Battery recycling; Nickel-base catalyst; Urea electrooxidation; Water treatment; Circular economy |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:000694715600005 |
| WoS Category |
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Energy & Fuels; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary |
| Research Area |
Science & Technology - Other Topics; Energy & Fuels; Materials Science |
| PDF |
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