Indirect Electrocatalytic Degradation of Cyanide at Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Electrodes

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (N-CNT) mat electrodes exhibit high catalytic activity toward O(2) reduction, which can be exploited for the remediation of free cyanide (CN(-)). During the electrochemical O(2) reduction process, the hydroperoxide anion (HO(2)(-)) is formed and then reacts to chemically oxidize cyanide (CN(-)) to form cyanate (OCN(-)). The proposed electrochemical-chemical (EC) mechanism for CN(-) remediation at N-CNTs is supported by cyclic voltammetry and bulk electrolysis, and the formation of OCN(-) is confirmed via spectroscopic methods and electrochemical simulations. Our results indicate that by exploiting their catalytic behavior for O(2) reduction, N-CNTs can efficiently convert toxic CN(-) to the nontoxic OCN(-).