Electrochemical oxidation of ammonia in water by Pt/NbC membrane-based catalytic nanofluid reactor

Electrochemical oxidation has garnered increasing attention for its potential in treating ammonia in wastewater. However, achieving both high conversion and high nitrogen selectivity simultaneously, while maintaining a short hydraulic retention time (HRT), remains a significant challenge. In this study, we constructed an efficient niobium carbide (NbC) nanoporous membrane reactor by incorporating metal platinum as a catalyst for the electrochemical oxidation of ammonia. The electrocatalytic oxidation process occurred within the nanochannels of the membrane. This design allowed for enhanced single-pass removal of ammonia due to the short diffusion distance on the nanometer scale, which subsequently increased the mass transfer efficiency. Remarkably, we achieved highly controllable pore sizes in the NbC membrane, ranging from 200 to 8.3 nm by dip-coating method. Without the addition of any oxidants, the single-pass removal of ammonia reached 100 % when the applied potential was set at 4 V vs. SCE on a membrane with a pore size of 8.3 nm, and an HRT of 249 s. The primary product obtained from this process was nitrogen, displaying a selectivity of 88.09 %, with a small percentage of nitrate production (selectivity of 11.91 %). By decreasing the applied potential or increasing the pore size, the selectivity of nitrogen can be further improved, reaching 100 %. However, this adjustment may lead to a decrease in the conversion of ammonia. DFT results have revealed that the production of nitrogen on the Pt (1 1 1) surface occurs through the NH₄⁺→NH₃ → NH₂ → N → N₂ pathway. This finding contributes to the understanding of the electrochemical process for ammonia removal in water, and provides a viable option for the design of efficient nanomembrane reactors.