Enhancement effect in the piezoelectric degradation of organic pollutants by piezo‐Fenton process

BACKGROUND Discovery of the nanometer material‐mediated piezoelectric effect has aroused interest in research into harnessing low‐frequency vibration energy, because a little vibration energy, even muscle‐movement, can generate electrical energy. Recently, much attention has focused on developing new processes of pollutant degradation using in situ application of piezo‐generated electrical energy. RESULTS It was found that the piezoelectric degradation of AO7 could be enhanced by adding ferrous ions. For example, 24.3%, 16.9% and 7.8% degradation of AO7, phenol and 4‐chlorophenol, respectively, was observed in a 30 min piezo‐process. Meanwhile, it was also found that H2O2 was generated in situ during the piezoelectric process. The maximum concentration of H2O2 reached 5.3 µmol L−1. It was identified that the enhancement effect of ferrous ions originated from a H2O2‐related Fenton reaction. CONCLUSION The finding of in situ piezo‐generated H2O2 and the piezo‐Fenton effect led to better understanding of the BaTiO3‐mediated piezo‐degradation of organic pollutants. It provides a new clue to developing an efficient piezo‐process for the degradation of organic pollutants, although the mechanism of piezo‐generating H2O2 is still under investigation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry