Facile preparation of iron-anchored graphite cloth through salt immersion and sintering approaches and its application to the electro-Fenton catalytic system as a cathode

The challenges associated with electro-Fenton during water treatment involve changing the traditional cathode to one showing high efficiency, low cost, and easy preparation. H 2 O 2 electrogeneration in the electro-Fenton process can be promoted by a transition metal-doped cathode. Therefore, an iron-doped cathode can greatly enhance H 2 O 2 production and promote the Fenton reaction to lend efficient pollutant degradation ability. This study proposes a low-cost and easy-prepared iron-deposited graphite cloth cathode (G-Fe). The presence of iron renders G-Fe conductive and supports the active sites for H 2 O 2 production. Aeration was a critical factor for H 2 O 2 electrogeneration. A total of 17.126 and 8.345 mg/L H 2 O 2 was produced from the G-Fe surface, with and without the aeration condition (current density of 100 mA/m 2 in 60 min with a neutral pH), respectively. The degradation rate of methyl orange with a cathode of G-Fe with aeration at 100 mA/m 2 was 97.5%, which was higher than the value obtained with graphite cloth as the cathode in an aeration environment or in G-Fe without aeration.