Without water, life cannot exist. Contaminated water, therefore, is one of the biggest threats to be found on our planet. So, the purification of industrial wastewater is indispensable for the maintenance of an intact natural environment. This includes, among other things, the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants, the elimination of other micropollutants in surface water and groundwater as well as the chemical-free treatment of water in the production of food items. Carbon-based diamond electrodes from Schunk Carbon Technology play an important role here.
Whether it’s hygienized process water or purified wastewater: the demands placed upon this versatilely usable element are particularly high in industrial applications. Up to now, the use of niobium was unavoidable. Instead of using this scarce – and hence expensive! – substrate, Schunk Carbon Technology is now using graphite, CFC (carbon-fiber carbon composite) or technical ceramics as a carrier material. These carbon-based diamond electrodes are efficient and resistant to corrosion. This makes them more economical and readily available than niobium-based solutions.
Cutting-edge technology overcomes customer demands
Due to the scarcity of niobium, it has not been possible to adequately satisfy customer demand for components made from this material. By contrast, the carbon-based substrates that Schunk Carbon Technology uses are readily available. This has made it possible for us to plan for our customers’ needs in larger production volumes and thus to manufacture more efficiently and in line with the market. Furthermore, thanks to the high degree of flexibility of the material, it is also possible to allow for application-specific requirements as early as the design stage of the electrodes. By working together with the customer, this allows the development and production of nearly any desired shape. This is because the simple mechanical processing permits an individual design of the electrodes and cells and therefore a more flexible dimensioning. Specifically, that means: instead of punching contours in a niobium sheet, the graphite substrates can be shaped using a standardized process, prior to being coated. So, customers can develop their innovations without having to work with a rigid and inflexible electrode design.
The power of innovation combined with longstanding experience
With diamond electrodes, Schunk Carbon Technology combines the longstanding experience with graphite materials and its know-how in the field of coatings. So, customers benefit on the one hand from the numerous possibilities afforded when designing their specific electrodes and from the excellent electrochemical properties of diamonds on the other. Chief among these properties are the high over-voltage potential against the electrolysis of water and the resistance to oxidation, which taken together, are highly effective and make processes possible which exhibit long-term stability. In tribology, for example, i.e. the science of examining friction, lubrication, and wear in machine elements, the ultra-hard diamond coatings are already being added to the existing product range of seal rings for heavy-load pumps.
Innovation with a future
The efficient and economical combination of diamonds and carbon-based carrier materials result in an endless variety of application fields for water purification for our customers. These include solutions for small-volume uses such as pools as well as large-scale uses like seepage water from garbage dumps and in the agricultural sector. Thus, in this way, the use of chemical additives and medications for the supply of fresh water on fish farms is to be significantly reduced in the future. Not only does that reduce the running costs for the operator, but it also indirectly decreases the residue found in our waters.
We are currently discussing and developing additional carbon-based diamond electrodes applications, together with our customers.
Interested? Learn more here.
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Diamond Electrode
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Diamond electrodes set technological standards in the treatment of waste water and many other contaminated liquids. In comparison to conventional cleaning processes and electrodes, they offer a considerably broader range of applications, are very corrosion resistant and make additional chemicals for water treatment unnecessary.