Electrochemically enhanced micro-electrolytic ceramic substrate infiltration system as an efficient approach for treatment of imidacloprid wastewater

In this study, an electrochemically coupled micro-electrolytic technology–enhanced soil infiltration system (E-ME-SIS) was proposed to address the problem of the high cost of traditional soil infiltration system (SIS) and the difficulty of removing imidacloprid (IMI) wastewater efficiently by a single treatment process. Micro-electrolytic ceramic substrates (MECS) were prepared from iron, activated carbon, aluminum, and fly ash and combined with an external power source to optimize the electrochemical and micro-electrolytic synergy and investigate their effectiveness in treating IMI wastewater. The results showed that MECS had a rough surface with a specific surface area of 2.682 m²/g, combining strong adsorption capacity (maximum adsorption of 1.149 mg/g) and wear resistance (24 h wear rate of 6.4%). The removal of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and IMI by E-ME-SIS was stabilized at 99%, 98%, and 98%, respectively, at a current density (CD) of 0.625 mA/cm² and influent C/N (COD/N) = 5. This study significantly enhanced the removal of difficult-to-degrade pollutants by SIS through an electrochemically enhanced micro-electrolysis reaction, which provides an energy-saving and stable technical reference for the efficient treatment of IMI wastewater with a potential for engineering applications.