AUTHOR=Han Jin , Li Kejian , Cheng Hanyun , Zhang Liwu 

TITLE=A Green Desulfurization Technique: Utilization of Flue Gas SO2 to Produce H2 via a Photoelectrochemical Process Based on Mo-Doped BiVO4

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2017.00114

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2017.00114

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=<p>A green photoelectrochemical (PEC) process with simultaneous SO<sub>2</sub> removal and H<sub>2</sub> production has attracted an increasing attention. The proposed process uses flue gas SO<sub>2</sub> to improve H<sub>2</sub> production. The improvement of the efficiency of this process is necessary before it can become industrial viable. Herein, we reported a Mo modified BiVO<sub>4</sub> photocatalysts for a simultaneous SO<sub>2</sub> removal and H<sub>2</sub> production. And the PEC performance could be significantly improved with doping and flue gas removal. The evolution rate of H<sub>2</sub> and removal of SO<sub>2</sub> could be enhanced by almost three times after Mo doping as compared with pristine BiVO<sub>4</sub>. The enhanced H<sub>2</sub> production and SO<sub>2</sub> removal is attributed to the improved bulk charge carrier transportation after Mo doping, and greatly enhanced oxidation reaction kinetics on the photoanode due to the formation of <inline-formula><mml:math id="M1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>SO</mml:mtext></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>−</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math></inline-formula> after SO<sub>2</sub> absorption by the electrolyte. Due to the utilization of SO<sub>2</sub> to improve the production of H<sub>2</sub>, the proposed PEC process may become a profitable desulfurization technique.</p>