Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction by Ni-Cu Electrocatalysts
Md Bakiul Bashar Rony
Abstract
High concentrations of nitrate (NO3) have been reported in localized water bodies due to excessive use of fertilizers,
wastewater discharge, and industrial effluents. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set the nitrate limit in
drinking water at 10 mg/L, but in many places the concentration is higher. Electrolysis may be an efficient method for nitrate removal, if a suitable electrocatalyst is identified. To this end, bimetallic Ni-Cu thin film and nanostructured electrocatalysts were electrodeposited from a citrate electrolyte onto a 1018 cylindrical, rotating steel substrate, in a three-electrode, single-compartment cell. Polarization curves were obtained in order to identify appropriate current densities for the alloy deposition. The electrodeposited alloy composition and morphology were characterized. In order to generate nanoscale depositions, Cu was thermodynamically deposited on Ni films via a galvanic displacement reaction. A simulated wastewater containing 50 mg/L nitrate was electrolyzed to measure nitrate reduction efficiency and evaluate the influence of catalyst alloy composition. Results show that alloy composition as well as interfacial structure play a critical role in determining nitrate conversion. Thin-film electrodes with intermediate Ni-Cu composition ratios exhibited the best performance, while Ni-rich and Cu-rich alloys showed reduced activity. However, even higher performance was observed when Cu was deposited at the nanoscale onto Ni films, compared to alloys having a similar overall composition.
Wednesday, 10/08/2025 at 4:30 pm
CAMP 176
Zoom: https://clarkson.zoom.us/j/97688690186
Md Bakiul Bashar Rony is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering at Clarkson University, working with Dr. Elizabeth Podlaha-Murphy. His research is focused on the
study and development of electrocatalysts for nitrate electroreduction. He completed his Bachelor’s in Chemical
Engineering and Polymer Science from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh.