Electrogeneration of H₂O₂ utilizing anodic O₂ on a polytetrafluoroethylene-modified cathode in a flow-through reactor

Efficient electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is critical for treatment of refractory pollutants by the electro-Fenton process. An effective strategy is developed by combining a flow-through reactor with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-modified graphite felt cathode. In this design, anodic oxygen is directly used for efficient H₂O₂ generation at the modified cathode. Experimental results show that the modified cathode with the optimum PTFE content can produce 29.6 mg/L of H₂O₂, which is 16 times higher than the unmodified graphite felt cathode for a flow rate of 3 mL/min. Maximum H₂O₂ production, up to 30.7 mg/L, was obtained under the following conditions: 120 mA, 3 mL/min, initial pH 13, no external aeration.