An original approach has been developed at IEM in the field of treatment of water loaded with biorefractory pollutants. This approach involves the use of a "zero-energy" system combining i) a fuel cell fed to the anode with carbohydrates (eg, sugars), and ii) a cathode fed by oxygen from the air to generate a current sufficient for the production of radicals that can be used for the mineralization of emerging pollutants.
The article "Design of a novel fuel cell-Fenton system: a smart approach to zero energy depollution" was recently published in "Journal of Materials Chemistry A"
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/ta/c6ta05443a
And was selected for the cover of the journal: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/ta#!issueid=ta004045&type=current&issnprint=2050-7488
Contact : Dr. Mikhael Bechelany, Prof. Marc Cretin