Electrocatalytic study on the degradation of tigecycline wastewater using a three-dimensional porous agarose@MXene hydrogel carbon cloth electrode with high conductivity

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2025-01, Vol.285, p.138231, Article 138231
• Main Authors: Bai, Haina, Zhang, Jian, Li, Shipeng, Lu, Muchen, Li, Jia, Li, Ruoyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agarose; Electrocatalysis; MXene; Tigecycline (TGC)
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.138231

In this study successfully prepared AG@MXene/CC composite electrodes by employing a thermosolvation-ultrasonication technique combined with an impregnation method. This approach uniformly dispersed MXene, known for its high electrochemical properties, onto the surface of carbon cloth (CC) through biomass-derived AG hydrogels featuring a three-dimensional network structure. The hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces between AG and MXene were harnessed to enhance material interactions, thereby improving electron transfer efficiency and electrocatalytic activity. Experimental results demonstrated that the composite electrode could achieve up to 96.16 % degradation rate of tigecycline (TGC) within 30 min under optimal conditions. Furthermore, this study delved into the reaction mechanism of the electrocatalytic system, clarifying the key roles of H* and H2O2 generated at the cathode, as well as ·OH and active chlorine species on the anode's surface during the TGC degradation process. A synergistic catalytic mechanism for the cathode and anode was proposed. The intermediates that may be formed during TGC degradation were analyzed and their toxicity was evaluated, confirming the high biosafety of the treated wastewater. This work not only offers new insights for designing efficient and stable electrocatalysts but also broadens the application scope of the green material AG in the electrocatalytic degradation of antibiotics.