Photocatalytic process for energy recovery in wastewater decontamination

The contemporary removal of formic acid (FA) from aqueous solution and electricity generation is studied by means of the combination of a photocatalytic reactor and an electrochemical cell. The proposed system relies on the capability of Cu2+ ions to reduce in presence of TiO2, (solar) UV radiations and a sacrificial organic agent. In the anodic solution of the combined photoreactor-cell, Cu-0 is oxidized to Cu2+ due to the cell work and the latter is reduced again to the lowest oxidation state as a result of the photocatalytic process. The use of different sacrificial agents such as formic acid (FA) and glycerol (GLY) is investigated.