2026-10-13T00:00:36Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33995417 2026-09-25T13:28:56Z category_4 category_146 category_15 category_21 category_24 category_272 category_873 category_39 category_69 portal_63 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Energy-Positive Thiosulfate Production Enabled by Coupling Waste Sulfide Oxidation with Oxygen Reduction Yifan Zhou (1973332) Yan Liu (25061) Jiaqi Sang (17940102) Han Wang (254423) Jiahui Zong (23447262) Pengfei Ou (5399675) Bihao Hu (11938494) Lei Wang (6656) Biochemistry Space Science Neuroscience Biotechnology Evolutionary Biology Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Inorganic Chemistry type cyclic process rich waste streams reversible hydrogen electrode peak power density orr coupling reverses favorable intrinsic pathway efficient upcycling processes derived chemical resource common environmental liabilities chemical cascade strategy approximately 80 %. 28 v versus sulfide waste valorization sulfide oxidation reaction oxygen reduction sulfide deeper sulfide oxidation resulting polysulfide distribution electrochemical reaction conditions 2 </ sub polysulfide intermediates galvanic electrochemical work demonstrates promising route produce na produce low preliminary techno positive approach modified cu membrane engineering electricity term economic analysis cu – cost penalty conventional systems controlled manner commonly treated chain propagation also represent added thiosulfate Sulfide-rich waste streams are commonly treated as among the most common environmental liabilities, yet they also represent an abundant sulfur-derived chemical resource if energy-efficient upcycling processes can be developed. Electrochemical sulfide oxidation offers a promising route for sulfur recovery, but conventional systems are typically energy-intensive and produce low-value products. Here we develop a galvanic electrochemical-chemical cascade strategy that couples the sulfide oxidation reaction (SOR) with the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), enabling sulfide valorization with net positive electrical energy output. Specifically, a Ce-modified Cu₂S anode is designed to enhance both SOR activity and selectivity. Ce incorporation electronically modulates the Cu–S framework, providing a favorable intrinsic pathway for deeper sulfide oxidation and sulfur-chain propagation, while the resulting polysulfide distribution is further governed by the electrochemical reaction conditions. The optimized Ce–Cu₂S/NF electrode achieves 100 mA cm^–2 at 0.28 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and maintains stable SOR operation for over 110 h. At the cathode, graphitized carbon nanotubes selectively generate H₂O₂. Through membrane engineering and a relay-type cyclic process, polysulfide intermediates and H₂O₂ are coupled in a dosage-controlled manner to produce Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O with a sulfide-to-thiosulfate conversion yield exceeding 60% and a purity of approximately 80%. Importantly, the integrated flow cell simultaneously generates electricity with a peak power density of approximately 4 mW cm^–2. Preliminary techno-economic analysis further indicates that ORR coupling reverses the electricity term from a cost penalty to an energy credit. This work demonstrates an energy-positive approach for sulfide waste valorization to value-added thiosulfate. 2026-09-25T00:00:00Z Dataset Dataset 10.1021/jacs.6c13391.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Energy-Positive_Thiosulfate_Production_Enabled_by_Coupling_Waste_Sulfide_Oxidation_with_Oxygen_Reduction/33995417 CC BY-NC 4.0