From brew to clean fuel: harnessing distillery wastewater for electrolysis H₂ generation using nano scale nickle selenide water oxidation catalysts

This study reports a promising and innovative approach for electrochemical green H-2 generation using distillery industry wastewater. We employed solvothermally derived Ni2Se3 nanoparticles with a particle size of similar to 50 nm as the anode catalyst material to effectively oxidise the acetic acid present in the distillery wastewater. The utilisation of a Ni2Se3 nanoparticle-coated stainless steel electrode significantly enhanced the current density (282 mA cm(-2)) in the electrochemical cell compared to the pristine SS (stainless steel) electrode (146 mA cm(-2)) at 2 V RHE. Also, the distillery wastewater electrolyte based cell exhibits higher current density compared to conventional freshwater (i.e., NaOH-based) electrolyte. The distillery wastewater electrolyte demonstrated remarkable H-2 gas evolution (similar to 15 mL h(-1) cm(-2)), showcasing its potential for sustainable H-2 generation. However, it was observed that the aggressive bubbling effect at the cathode led to a lower H-2 evolution reaction activity when compared to the freshwater-based electrolyte, which displayed a H-2 production rate of similar to 22 mL h(-1) cm(-2). These findings underscore the potential of employing Ni2Se3 as an effective oxidation catalyst in the production of H-2 gas from pre-treated brewery wastewater H-2 gas. The utilisation of Ni2Se3 nanoscale water oxidation catalysts in this context opens up new possibilities for both wastewater treatment and H-2 production, paving the way for a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.