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Significance Statement
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide that is widely used by farmers and urbans to kill wide variety of unwanted plants. Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is the main toxic and persistent primary degradation product of glyphosate and it is very difficult to mineralize. Improper disposal of herbicide wastes may increase the probability of contamination of water resources and is main health and environmental concern due to its toxicity. AMPA is also a degradation product of numerous personal care and industrial compounds. Therefore, there is an urgent need for simple, fast, efficient methods for mineralization of glyphosate and AMPA in diverse aquatic matrices to address the continuing concerns related to increasing the presence of these two pollutants in the environment, while very few methods are able to degrade AMPA today.
In this study, Dr. Sophie Peulon and colleagues from CNRS and University of Evry-Val d’Essonne in France proposed a new method for the mineralization of aminomethylphosphonic acid, which is present in wastewater in very high concentrations and representative of industries or agriculture. They developed an electrochemical method under soft conditions, at room temperature and at free pH. The advantage of the method, it is simple, cheap, easy, and effective method for mineralization.
The electrochemical treatment is done at room temperature by chronoamperometry under stirring in a classical electrochemical cell. In their electrochemical method, they used an electrode material as an electrodeposited thin film of birnessite onto conductive substrate (tin dioxide). Birnessite is a non-toxic manganese oxide, which is found in the environment and has a natural oxidative property towards pollutants. The main aim with the electrochemical process is to increase the oxidation process of birnessite. This new approach was developed particularly during the PhD studies of Anne Pensel.
The authors achieved an excellent mineralization rate without generation of manganese ion and therefore more environmental friendly. This absence of manganese ions is due to a particularly efficient regeneration of material during the electrochemical treatment without modification of nanostructured thin films. This study developed an innovative, more effective and inexpensive electrochemical treatment technology, with very low energy supply, composed of electrodeposited birnessite thin film that can be applied to the remediation of wastewaters containing organic pollutants such as AMPA and glyphosate. This electrochemical treatment with no equivalent in the literature could be used in complement of classical methods or performed directly at the source of pollution.
Journal Reference
Pensel, A., Peulon, S., Chausse, A., Efficient electrochemical treatment based on electrodeposited thin films of birnessite for mineralisation of AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) in very soft conditions,
Electrochemistry Communications, Volume 69, 2016, Pages 19-23.
- CNRS UMR 8587, Bd François Mitterrand, 91025 Evry, France.
- Laboratoire Analyse et Modélisation pour la Biologie et l’Environnement (LAMBE), Université Evry, Bd François Mitterrand, 91025 Evry Cedex, France.
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