The Development of Self-Powered Nanoelectrocatalytic Reactor for Simultaneous Piezo-Catalytic Degradation of Bacteria and Organic Dyes in Wastewater

Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) have been extensively used for wastewater treatment. These processes use reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide for the degradation of pollutants (organic, inorganic and pathogenic bacteria). However, in most cases they use external electric power (high energy consumption) derived from the burning of fossil fuels. The electric power derived from fossil fuels has detrimental effects such as emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Therefore, in order to self-sustain these EAOPs, it is important to power these using renewable sources. In this chapter, we highlight the use of piezoelectric materials to power EAOPs especially for bacterial and organic dye degradation. These piezoelectric materials tend to produce electric energy under the influence of applied pressure; however, they are known to be poor electrocatalysts. Their limitations and possible future perspectives will also be discussed.