Pd/C catalyst used for the Pd/C gas diffusion cathodes was prepared by hydrogen reduction method and formaldehyde reduction method, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission elec- trode microcopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) tech- niques. The electrochemical degradation of 4-chlorophenol was investigated in the diaphragm elec- trolysis system, aerating firstly with hydrogen gas then with air, using three different kinds of gas dif- fusion cathode. The results indicated that the self-made Pd/C gas diffusion cathode can not only re- ductively dechlorinate 4-chlorophenols by aerating hydrogen gas, but also accelerate the two-electron reduction of O2 to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by aerating air. Therefore, the removal efficiency of 4-chlorophenol by using Pd/C gas diffusion cathode is better than that of the C/PTFE gas diffusion cathode (no catalyst). The catalytic activity of Pd/C catalyst prepared by hydrogen reduction method is higher than that prepared by formaldehyde reduction method. The stability of the Pd/C gas diffusion cathodes is good. Therefore, both the removal efficiency and the dechlorination degree of 4-chlorophenol reached about 100% after 60 min, and the removal efficiency of 4-chlorophenol in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the cathodic compartment reached 87.4% after 120 min.
Nanoscale Fe0 was synthesized through a reductive method in this paper. The experiments were per-formed to investigate the reduction of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) by nanoscale Fe0 under different conditions. The pathways for the reduction of 2,4-DCP by nanoscale Fe0 were discussed. Batch studies demonstrated that the mechanism includes adsorption, dechlorination and cleavage of the benzene ring. Dechlorination, which occurs after 2,4-DCP molecule is adsorbed on the interface of Fe particle, is an interfacial reaction. One or two chlorine atom can be removed from 2,4-DCP to form 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol or phenol. As the concentration of 2,4-DCP increased, the relative dechlorination ratio decreased. However, the reduced quantities of 2,4-DCP increased. Temperature can influence dechlo-rination rate and pathway. Dechlorination is prior to cleavage of the benzene ring at a higher tempera-ture, but at a lower temperature, adsorption may be the main pathway, and cleavage of the benzene ring may be prior to dechlorination.
The microbial immobilization method using polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） gel as an immobilizing material was improved and used for entrapment of activated sludge. The oxygen uptake rate （OUR） was used to characterize the biological activity of immobilized activated sludge. Three kinds of PVA-immobilized particles of activated sludge, that is, PVA-boric acid beads, PVA-sodium nitrate beads and PVA-orthophosphate beads were prepared, and their biological activity was compared by measuring the OUR value. The bioactivity of both autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms of activated sludge was determined using different synthetic wastewater media （containing 250 mg/L COD and 25 mg/L NH4^＋ -N）. The experimental results showed that the bioactivity and stability of the three kinds of immobilized activated sludge was greatly improved after activation. With respect of the bioactivity and the mechanical stability, the PVA-orthophosphate method may be a promising and economical technique for microbial immobilization.
