Comparative depollution of mecoprop aqueous solutions by electrochemical incineration using BDD and PbO2 as high oxidation power anodes

Electrochemical degradation of ciprofloxacin through a DoE-driven optimization in a filter-press type reactor under batch recirculation mode

In this work, the electrochemical degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) was studied in a filter-press-type reactor without division in a batch recirculation manner. For this purpose, two boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes (as cathode and anode) were employed. Also, the optimal operating conditions were found by response surface methodology (RSM) following a central composite face-centered design with three factors, namely current intensity (i), initial pH (pH0), and initial concentration ([C]0) with two responses, namely remotion efficiency (η) and operating cost. Optimal operating conditions were i = 3 A, pH0 = 8.49, and [C]0 = 33.26 mg L-1 within an electrolysis time of 5 h, leading to a maximum removal efficiency of 93.49% with a minimum operating cost of $0.013 USD L-1. Also, a TOC analysis shows an 80% of mineralization extent with an energy consumption of 5.11 kWh g-1 TOC. Furthermore, the CIP degradation progress was followed by mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and a degradation pathway is proposed.

Mechanistic investigation into flow-through electrochemical oxidation of sulfanilamide for groundwater using a graphite anode

The technical effectiveness/merit of electrochemical oxidation (EO) has been recognized. Nonetheless, its practical application to groundwater remediation has not been fully implemented due to several technical challenges. To overcome the technical incompleteness, this study adopted a graphite anode in the flow-through system and studied the mechanistic roles of a graphite anode. To this end, groundwater contaminated with sulfanilamide was remediated by means of EO, and sulfanilamide oxidation was quantitatively determined in this study. Approximately 60% of sulfanilamide was degraded at the anode zone, and such observation offered that the removal of sulfanilamide was not closely related with current variations (10-100 mA). However, this study delineated that sulfanilamide removal is contingent on the flow speed. For example, the removal of sulfanilamide was lowered from 59 to 25% owing to a short contact time when the flow velocity was increased from 0.14 to 0.55 cm/min. This study also delineated that a shorter anode-cathode distance could offer a favorable chance to enhance the removal of sulfanilamide even under an identical current. A shorter distance could offer a chance to save energy due to the lower voltage operation. This study also offered that chloride (Cl^-) and sulfate (SO₄^2-) electrolytes served a crucial role in the generation of active species. In contrast, bicarbonate (HCO₃^-) and synthetic groundwater electrolytes impeded the oxidation rate because HCO₃^- scavenged the other active species. In an effort to seek the oxidation mechanisms of a graphite anode, scavenger, cyclic voltammetry test, and electron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_paramagnetic_resonanceparamagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis were done. From a series of the tests, it was inferred that a graphite anode did not directly affect the generation of the active species. Thus, the prevalence of the oxygenated functional groups on an anode surface could be the main mechanism in sulfanilamide removal due to the enhanced electron transfer.

Electrochemical degradation of nanoplastics in water: Analysis of the role of reactive oxygen species

Microplastics and nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging water contaminants which have recently gained lots of attention because of their effects on the aquatic systems and human life. Most of the previous works on the treatment of plastic pollution in water have been focused on microplastics and a very limited study has been performed on the NPs treatment. In this work, the role of main reactive oxygen species (ROSs) in the electrooxidation (EO) and electro-peroxidation (EO-H₂O₂) of NPs in water is investigated. In-situ generation of hydroxyl radicals (^•OH), persulfates (S₂O₈^2-), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were performed using boron-doped diamond (BDD) as the anode, whereas titanium (in EO process) and carbon felt (CF, in EO-H₂O₂ process) were used as cathode. In the EO process, NPs were mainly oxidized by two types of ROSs on the BDD surface: (i) ^•OH from water discharge and (ii) SO₄^•- via S₂O₈^2- reaction with ^•OH. In EO-H₂O₂ process, NPs were additionally degraded by ^•OH formed from H₂O₂ decomposition as well as SO₄^•- generated from direct or indirect reactions with H₂O₂. Analysis of the degradation of NPs showed that EO-H₂O₂ process was around 2.6 times more effective than EO process. The optimum amount of NPs degradation efficiency of 86.8% was obtained using EO-H₂O₂ process at the current density of 36 mA·cm^-2, 0.03 M Na₂SO₄, pH of 2, and 40 min reaction time. In addition, 3D EEM fluorescence analysis confirmed the degradation of NPs. Finally, the economic analysis showed the treatment of NPs using EO-H₂O₂ process had an operating cost of 2.3 $US.m^-3, which was around 10 times less than the EO process. This study demonstrated that the in-situ generation of ROSs can significantly enhance the degradation of NPs in water.

Electrochemical Ni-EDTA degradation and Ni removal from electroless plating wastewaters using an innovative Ni-doped PbO2 anode: Optimization and mechanism

In this work, a novel Ni-doped PbO₂ anode (Ni-PbO₂) was prepared via a co-electrodeposition method and used to remove Ni-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Ni-EDTA) from solutions typical of electroless nickel plating wastewater. Compared with a pure PbO₂ electrode, Ni doping increased the oxygen evolution potential as well as the reactive surface area and reactive site concentration and reduced the electron transfer resistance thereby resulting in superior Ni-EDTA degradation performance. The 1% Ni-doped PbO₂ electrode exhibited the best electrochemical oxidation activity with a Ni-EDTA removal efficiency of 96.5 ± 1.2%, a Ni removal efficiency of 52.1 ± 1.4% and an energy consumption of 2.6 kWh m^-3. Further investigations revealed that 1% Ni doping enhanced both direct oxidation and hydroxyl radical mediated oxidation processes involved in Ni-EDTA degradation. A mechanism for Ni-EDTA degradation is proposed based on the identified products. The free nickel ion concentration initially increased as a result of the degradation of Ni-EDTA complexes and subsequently decreased as a consequence of nickel electrodeposition on the cathode surface. Further characterization of the cathode deposits by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectra indicated that the deposition products were a mixture of Ni⁰, NiO and Ni(OH)₂ with elemental Ni accounting for roughly 80% of the deposited nickel. Results of this study pave the way for the application of anodic oxidation processes for efficient degradation of Ni-containing complexes and recovery of Ni from nickel-containing wastewaters.

Simultaneous electrochemical oxidation and ferrate generation for the treatment of atrazine: A novel process for water treatment applications

A novel process involving the simultaneous electrochemical-oxidation (EO) and electrosynthesis of ferrate has been investigated for the treatment of the commonly detected and recalcitrant pesticide, atrazine. The present study considered the electrosynthesis of ferrate, in neutral pH, using low concentration iron (Fe²⁺) representative of raw water levels and its subsequent effect on atrazine degradation. Ferrate synthesis was unaffected by current density (10-80 mA cm^-2), indicating mass transport limitations. Synthesis was affected by the initial iron concentration, whereby 0.051, 0.108 and 0.332 mg L^-1 was generated with an Fe²⁺ concentration of 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 mg L^-1, respectively. When operating under simultaneous EO and ferrate oxidation, atrazine degradation exceeded that of a solely EO process. From an initial concentration of 2.00 mg L^-1, atrazine was degraded to 1.34, 1.05 and 0.51 mg L^-1 during 10, 40 and 80 mA cm^-2, characterised by pseudo-first-order kinetics. Degradation with electrochemically-generated ferrate could be described by second-order kinetics, and yielded a degradation rate constant of 23.5 M^-1 s^-1. The effect of natural organic matter (NOM) on atrazine degradation was also investigated. Ferrate was observed to be mostly scavenged by resorcinol, a representative NOM compound, having a second-order reaction rate constant of 9.71 × 102 M^-1 s^-1.

Treatment of microplastics in water by anodic oxidation: A case study for polystyrene

Water pollution by microplastics (MPs) is a contemporary issue which has recently gained lots of attentions. Despite this, very limited studies were conducted on the degradation of MPs. In this paper, we reported the treatment of synthetic mono-dispersed suspension of MPs by using electrooxidation (EO) process. MPs synthetic solution was prepared with distilled water and a commercial polystyrene solution containing a surfactant. In addition to anode material, different operating parameters were investigated such as current intensity, anode surface, electrolyte type, electrolyte concentration, and reaction time. The obtained results revealed that the EO process can degrade 58 ± 21% of MPs in 1 h. Analysis of the operating parameters showed that the current intensity, anode material, electrolyte type, and electrolyte concentration substantially affected the MPs removal efficiency, whereas anode surface area had a negligible effect. In addition, dynamic light scattering analysis was performed to evaluate the size distribution of MPs during the degradation. The combination of dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, total organic carbon, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results suggested that the MPs did not break into smaller particles and they degrade directly into gaseous products. This work demonstrated that EO is a promising process for degradation of MPs in water without production of any wastes or by-products.

Application of response surface methodology for optimization of electrochemical process in metronidazole (MNZ) removal from aqueous solutions using stainless steel 316 (SS316) and lead (Pb) anodes

Pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water sources, in addition to threatening environmental health, increase bacterial resistance in aquatic environments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of response surface methodology for the optimization of the electrochemical process in the removal of metronidazole (MNZ) aqueous solutions using stainless steel 316 (SS316) and Lead (Pb) anodes. In this experimental study, the effect of different parameters including pH (4–10), electrolysis time (40–120 min), MNZ antibiotic concentration (30–150 mg/L), and current density (2–10 mA/cm2) on Antibiotic removal efficiency was evaluated by a central composite design method using Design-Expert software. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and p-Value tests. Hence, central composite design (CCD) established a reduced quadratic polynomial model with P-value < 0.0001 and R2 = 0.98. The optimal values for the solution pH initial, electrolysis time, current density, and MNZ antibiotic concentration were 5.5, 100.0 min, 8.0 mA/cm2, and 50 mg/L, respectively. By employing the optimum conditions obtained, the maximum experimental removal efficiencies by SS316 and Pb anodes were 67.85 and 78.66%, respectively. The Chemical Oxygen Demand/total organic carbon (COD/TOC) ratio was decreased from 1.67 at the inlet to 1.53 at the outlet for SS316 and from 1.7 to 1.42 for Pb. Moreover, average oxidation state (AOS) was increased from 1.45 to 1.7 for SS316 and from 1.45 to 1.86 for Pb, which indicates the biodegradability of MNZ antibiotics by the electrochemical process. The electrochemical degradation process was identified as an effective method for the removal of MNZ from aquatic solutions, and it has an outstanding potential in removing other refractory pollutants from the environment.

Landfill leachate treatment by a boron-doped diamond-based photo-electro-Fenton system integrated with biological oxidation: A toxicity, genotoxicity and by products assessment

A photo-electro-Fenton (PEF) reactor employing boron-doped diamond (BDD) and soft iron anodes was studied in landfill leachate (LL) treatment. The reactor operation parameters (ROP) H₂O₂ concentration, current intensity and flow rate were investigated in the removal of Abs 254 nm. The PEF process with BDD anode, operating at the best operational conditions, was used as a pre-treatment and enabled biological oxidation (BO). The treatment strategy of PEF followed by BO showed to be the most efficient, reaching reductions of 77.9% chemical oxygen demand (COD), 71.5% total carbon (TC) and 76.3% radiation absorbance in 254 nm (Abs 254 nm), as well as a significant reduction in the genotoxicity (Allium cepa), observed by an increase in the mitotic index (MI) (131.5%) and decrease in the abnormalities (47.8%). The reduction of the toxic potential of LL using the integration of processes was also observed in the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) byproducts analysis, which indicated the removal of emerging contaminants, such as Bisphenol-A (BPA), N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) and Diisooctyl phthalate (DIOP). Thus, the PEF process integrated with BO presented a considerable efficiency in the removal of contaminants present in LL, becoming an alternative for the minimization of the environmental impacts caused by the discharge of this effluent in the environment.

The electrochemical degradation of the metronidazole (MNZ) antibiotic using electrochemical oxidation on a stainless steel316 coated with beta lead oxide (SS316/β-PbO2) anode

Metronidazole (MNZ) is one of the pharmaceutical products which is considered as one of the most important pollutants in the environment due to its wide use and resistance to biodegradation. Hence, the purpose of this study is the optimization of the electrochemical degradation of the metronidazole (MNZ) antibiotic using electrochemical oxidation on a stainless steel316 coated with beta lead oxide (SS316/β-PbO2) anode. In the studied electrochemical process, the response surface methodology (RSM) involving a five-level ((pH (A) and electrolysis time (B), current density (C), and MNZ concentration (D)). The central composite design (CCD) was employed for optimizing and modeling of the electrochemical process in the degradation of MNZ. The preparation of SS316/β-PbO2 anode was accomplished using the electro-deposition method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were conducted for accurate evaluation and characterization of the coated electrode. The effect of influencing factors on electrochemical degradation of MNZ was studied, and the highest MNZ degradation efficiency was observed to be 98.88% after 120 min under the optimal conditions including the supporting electrolyte concentration of 1.0 g/100 cc, the initial MNZ concentration of 30.1 mg/L, pH of 4 and the current density of 9.99 mA/cm2. The linear regression coefficient (R2) between experiments and different response values in the model was 0.99. Moreover, the statistical analysis of the results indicated that in the range studied, the most effective parameters in MNZ degradation are MNZ concentration and pH. In general, it can be concluded that the electrochemical process using SS316/β-PbO2 anode can effectively eliminate metronidazole, and it can be considered as an efficient method in the degradation of various pollutants.

Fabrication of boron-doped diamond films electrode for efficient electrocatalytic degradation of cresols

The choice of anode materials has a significant influence on the electrocatalytic degradation of organics. Accordingly, the electrocatalytic activity of several active anodes (Ti/Ru-Ir, Ti/Ir-Ta, Ti/Pt) and non-active anodes (Ti/PbO₂, Ti/SnO₂, Si/BDD (boron-doped diamond)) was compared by electrocatalytic degradation of m-cresol. The results indicated Si/BDD electrode had the strongest mineralization ability and the lowest energy consumption. And the order of the activity of m-cresol degradation was as follows: Si/BDD > Ti/SnO₂>Ti/PbO₂>Ti/Pt > Ti/Ir-Ta > Ti/Ru-Ir. Also their intermediate products were compared. The effects of experimental parameters on electrocatalytic degradation of m-cresol with Si/BDD electrode showed m-cresol conversion was affected slightly by the electrode spacing and electrolyte concentration, but affected greatly by the temperature and current density. And smaller electrode spacing and current density, higher electrolyte concentration and temperature were beneficial to reduce energy consumption. Their degradation processes were all accord with the pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics completely. In addition, the results of electrocatalytic degradation of m, o, p-cresol indicated there was almost no significant difference on conversion rate between cresols isomers with the current density of 30 mA cm^-2. However, the influence of group position was shown when the current density was reduced to 10 mA cm^-2 and cresols conversion followed the sequence of m-cresol ≈ o-cresol > p-cresol.

Dimensional Stable Lead Electrode Modified by SDS for Efficient Degradation of Bisphenol A

The dimensional stable lead electrodes modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were prepared with electrochemical deposition and it shows that a more compact, uniform, and smooth film of Ti/PbO₂(F+SDS) electrode reduces the corroded crystal faces and surface defects. Characterization results demonstrate that the oxygen evolution potential (OEP) of the Ti/PbO₂(F+SDS) electrode was higher, and its service life is almost 1.6 times longer than the Ti/PbO₂(F) electrode. Compared with Ti/PbO₂(F) electrode, the soluble Pb concentration of the Ti/PbO₂(F+SDS) electrode decreased 15.1%, which indicates that the decrease of crystal surface defects leads to the reduction of Pb ions so that the excellent corrosion resistance electrodes cause low environmental risks. The modified electrodes were used as anodes to degrading bisphenol A (BPA) when an electrolyte is 0.2 M Na₂SO₄, the applied voltage is 5 V and electrodes distance is 3 cm, 20 mg/L BPA for electrolysis time of 180 min can reach up to 97.6%.

Removal of the Rhodamine B Dye at Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.7O2 Anode Using Flow Cell System

The electrochemical oxidation of the Rhodamine B dye (Rh-B) was carried out using dimensionally stable type anode (DSA, Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.7O2). The work was performed using the electrochemical flow cell system. The effect of several operating factors, such as supporting electrolytes, current density, electrolysis time, temperature, and initial concentration of Rh-B dye, were investigated. The UV-visible spectroscopy and chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements were conducted to monitor the removal and degradation of Rh-B. The best color removal achieved was found to be 98.3% after 10 min applying 3.9 mA·cm−2 as a current density using 0.07 mol·L−1 of NaCl. Meanwhile, the highest COD removal rate (93.0%) was obtained for an applied current density of 3.9 mA·cm−2 as the optimal operating condition after 180 min reaction time, with 2.98 kW h·m−3 as energy consumption. This shows that the best conditions for color removal are not certainly the same as those for the COD removal. The rises in the concentration of NaCl, and applied current increased the Rh-B color removal rate. The decline in Rh-B dye concentration followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The obtained values of apparent rate constant were increased by increasing chloride ion concentration. It is concluded that the electro-oxidation on DSA electrode using a flow cell is a suitable process for the removal of Rh-B dye in aqueous solutions.

Characterization of the Interfacial Joule Heating Effect in the Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Process

The electrochemical advanced oxidation process (EAOP) has gained popularity in the field of water purification. During the EAOP, it is in the boundary layer of the anode-solution interface that organic pollutants are oxidized by hydroxyl radicals (^•OH) produced from water oxidation. Applying current to an anode dissipates heat to the surroundings according to Joule's law, leading to an interfacial temperature that is much higher than that of the bulk solution, which is known as the "interfacial Joule heating" (IJH) effect. The modeling and experimental results show that the IJH effect had an inevitable consequence for the activity of ^•OH, rate constants, and mass transport within the boundary layer. The interfacial temperature could be increased from 25 to 70.2 °C, a value mostly doubling that of the bulk solution (33.6 °C) at the end of a 120 min electrolysis (10 mA cm^-2). Correspondingly, the ^•OH concentration available for oxidation of organic pollutants was much lower than that calculated at a constant temperature of 25 °C probably due to H₂O₂ formation via ^•OH dimerization. The enhanced ^•OH diffusion resulting from strengthened molecular thermodynamic movement and decreased kinematic viscosity of the solution also drove ^•OH to move far from the anode surface and thus extended the maximum thickness of the boundary layer. The oxidation rate was positively correlated to the interfacial temperature, the activation energy, and the number of activated molecules, indicated by a 1.57-2.28-fold increase depending on the target organic compounds. The finding of the IJH effect prompts a re-examination of the literature based on a realistic rather than a constant temperature (e.g., 20-30 °C), the case reflected in a number of prior studies that does not exist virtually, and reconsideration of behaviors that can be attributed to the change in temperature during EAOP.

Electrochemical degradation of ciprofloxacin with a Sb-doped SnO2 electrode: performance, influencing factors and degradation pathways

Sb-doped SnO₂ electrodes were prepared with the practical sol–gel method and were used for the electrocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in aqueous solution. Results from the electrochemical characterization (including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) showed that the electrode with 16 coating times (SSO-16) had the highest oxygen evolution potential of 2.2 V (vs. SCE) and the highest electrochemically active area of 3.74 cm². The results of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction showed that the coating times could affect the surface morphology and crystal structure of the electrodes, and the SSO-16 electrode had a denser surface, higher crystallinity, and smaller grain size (28.6 nm). Moreover, the experimental parameters for CIP degradation with SSO-16 were optimized, and the removal ratio of CIP reached to almost 100% within 60 min. In addition, the possible degradation pathways of CIP were proposed. And the stability and reusability of the SSO-16 electrode were also studied. These results are valuable for the preparation of high electrocatalytic performance electrodes by a sol–gel coating method for electrochemical degradation of antibiotics.

Sb-doped SnO₂ electrodes with different coating times were prepared by an optimum sol–gel method and the application on the electrocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin in aqueous solution were investigated.

Synthetic hospital wastewater treatment by coupling submerged membrane bioreactor and electrochemical advanced oxidation process: Kinetic study and toxicity assessment

In this work, the combination of membrane bioreactor (MBR) and electro-oxidation (EO) process was studied for the treatment of a synthetic hospital wastewater fortified with four pharmaceutical pollutants namely carbamazepine (CBZ), ibuprofen (IBU), estradiol (E-E) at a concentration of 10 μg L^-1 venlafaxine (VEN) at 0.2 μg L^-1. Two treatment configurations were studied: EO process as pre-treatment and post-treatment. Wastewater treatment with MBR alone shows high removal percentages of IBU and E-E (∼90%). Unlikely for CBZ and VEN, a low elimination percentage (∼10%) was observed. The hydraulic and the solid retention times (HRT and SRT) were 18 h and 140 d respectively, while the biomass concentration in the MBR was 16.5 g L^-1. To enhance pharmaceuticals elimination, an EO pretreatment was conducted during 40 min at 2 A. This configuration allowed a 92% removal for VEN, which was far greater than both treatments alone, with lower than 30% and 50% for MBR and EO, respectively. The MBR-EO coupling (EO as post-treatment) allows high removal percentages (∼97%) of the four pharmaceutical pollutants after 40 min of treatment at a current intensity of 0.5 A with Nb/BDD as electrodes. This configuration appears to be very effective compared to the first configuration (EO-MBR) where EO process is used as a pre-treatment. Toxicity assessment showed that the treated effluent of this configuration is not toxic to Daphnia magna except at 100% v/v. The MBR-EO coupling appears to be a promising treatment for contaminated hospital effluents.

Treatment of real effluents from the pharmaceutical industry: A comparison between Fenton oxidation and conductive-diamond electro-oxidation

Wastewater produced in pharmaceutical manufacturing plants (PMPs), especially the one coming from organic-synthesis facilities, is characterized by its large variability due to the wide range of solvents and chemical reagents used in the different stages of the production of medicines. Normally, the toxicity of the organic compounds prevent the utilization of biological processes and more powerful treatments are needed becoming advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) a valid alternative. In this work, the efficiency in abatement of pollution by Fenton oxidation (FO) and conductive-diamond electro-oxidation (CDEO) are compared in the treatment of 60 real effluents coming from different processes carried out in a pharmaceutical facility, using standardized tests. In 80% of the samples, CDEO was found to be more efficient than FO and in the remaining 20%, coagulation was found to exhibit a great significance in the COD abatement mechanism during FO, pointing out the effectiveness of the oxidation promoted by the electrochemical technology. Mean oxidation state of carbon was found to be a relevant parameter to understand the behavior of the oxidation technologies. It varied inversely proportional to efficiency in FO and it showed practically no influence in the case of CDEO.

Photoelectrocatalytic activity of an ordered and vertically aligned TiO2 nanorod array/BDD heterojunction electrode

Rutile TiO₂ nanorod (TiNR) arrays were fabricated on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) substrate by a simple hydrothermal synthesis method. A fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode grown with TiNR arrays was also prepared using the same technology for comparison. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy results show that oriented TiNR arrays can grow vertically on the surface of BDD and FTO electrodes. TiNR arrays grown on both electrodes had the same length (3μm). In comparison with the TiNR/FTO electrode, the TiNR/BDD electrode demonstrated a higher photoelectrocatalytic activity for the degradation of water and organic compounds, which is mostly attributed to the formation of a p-n heterojunction between the TiNR arrays and BDD at high potential, apart from the density of TiNR. A linear relationship between the photoelectrocatalytic current and the organic concentration can be observed on both electrodes. However, the linear range between net photoelectrocatalytic current values and organic compound concentrations for the TiNR/BDD electrode are much greater than those for the TiNR/FTO electrode, which makes the TiNR/BDD electrode a versatile material for the photocatalytic degradation and sensing of organic compounds.

Bioelectro-Fenton: A sustainable integrated process for removal of organic pollutants from water: Application to mineralization of metoprolol

The relevant environmental hazard related to the presence of pharmaceuticals in water sources requires the development of high effective and suitable wastewater treatment technologies. In the present work, a hybrid process coupling electro-Fenton (EF) process and aerobic biological treatment (Bio-EF process) was implemented for the efficient and cost-effective mineralization of beta-blocker metoprolol (MPTL) aqueous solutions. Firstly, operating factors influencing EF process were assessed. MTPL solutions were completely mineralized after 4h-electrolysis under optimal operating conditions and BDD anode demonstrated its oxidation superiority. The absolute rate constant of MTPL oxidation byOH (kMTPL) was determined by the competition kinetics method and found to be (1.72±0.04)×10(9)M(-1)s(-1). A reaction pathway for the mineralization of the drug was proposed based on the identification of oxidation by-products. Secondly, EF process was used as pre-treatment. An increase of BOD5/COD ratio from 0.012 to 0.44 was obtained after 1h EF treatment, along with 47% TOC removal and a significant decrease of toxicity, demonstrating the feasibility of a post-biological treatment. Finally, biological treatment successfully oxidized 43% of the total TOC content. An overall 90% mineralization of MPTL solutions was achieved by the Bio-EF process, demonstrating its potentiality for treating wastewater containing pharmaceutical residues.

Removal of oxyfluorfen from ex-situ soil washing fluids using electrolysis with diamond anodes

In this research, firstly, the treatment of soil spiked with oxyfluorfen was studied using a surfactant-aided soil-washing (SASW) process. After that, the electrochemical treatment of the washing liquid using boron doped diamond (BDD) anodes was performed. Results clearly demonstrate that SASW is a very efficient approach in the treatment of soil, removing the pesticide completely by using dosages below 5 g of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) per Kg of soil. After that, complete mineralization of organic matter (oxyflourfen, SDS and by-products) was attained (100% of total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand removals) when the washing liquids were electrolyzed using BDD anodes, but the removal rate depends on the size of the particles in solution. Electrolysis of soil washing fluids occurs via the reduction in size of micelles until their complete depletion. Lower concentrations of intermediates are produced (sulfate, chlorine, 4-(trifluoromethyl)-phenol and ortho-nitrophenol) during BDD-electrolyzes. Finally, it is important to indicate that, sulfate (coming from SDS) and chlorine (coming from oxyfluorfen) ions play an important role during the electrochemical organic matter removal.

A Comparative Electrochemical-Ozone Treatment for Removal of Phenolphthalein

The degradation of aqueous solutions containing phenolphthalein was carried out using ozone and electrochemical processes; the two different treatments were performed for 60 min at pH 3, pH 7, and pH 9. The electrochemical oxidation using boron-doped diamond electrodes processes was carried out using three current density values: 3.11 mA·cm−2, 6.22 mA·cm−2, and 9.33 mA·cm−2, whereas the ozone dose was constantly supplied at 5±0.5 mgL−1. An optimal degradation condition for the ozonation treatment is at alkaline pH, while the electrochemical treatment works better at acidic pH. The electrochemical process is twice better compared with ozonation.

Single and Coupled Electrochemical Processes and Reactors for the Abatement of Organic Water Pollutants: A Critical Review

Traditional physicochemical and biological techniques, as well as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), are often inadequate, ineffective, or expensive for industrial water reclamation. Within this context, the electrochemical technologies have found a niche where they can become dominant in the near future, especially for the abatement of biorefractory substances. In this critical review, some of the most promising electrochemical tools for the treatment of wastewater contaminated by organic pollutants are discussed in detail with the following goals: (1) to present the fundamental aspects of the selected processes; (2) to discuss the effect of both the main operating parameters and the reactor design on their performance; (3) to critically evaluate their advantages and disadvantages; and (4) to forecast the prospect of their utilization on an applicable scale by identifying the key points to be further investigated. The review is focused on the direct electrochemical oxidation, the indirect electrochemical oxidation mediated by electrogenerated active chlorine, and the coupling between anodic and cathodic processes. The last part of the review is devoted to the critical assessment of the reactors that can be used to put these technologies into practice.

Complete removal of AHPS synthetic dye from water using new electro-fenton oxidation catalyzed by natural pyrite as heterogeneous catalyst

The mineralization of a new azo dye - the (4-amino-3-hydroxy-2-p-tolylazo-naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid) (AHPS) - has been studied by a novel electrochemical advanced oxidation process (EAOP), consisting in electro-Fenton (EF) oxidation, catalyzed by pyrite as the heterogeneous catalyst - the so-called 'pyrite-EF'. This solid pyrite used as heterogeneous catalyst instead of a soluble iron salt, is the catalyst the system needs for production of hydroxyl radicals. Experiments were performed in an undivided cell equipped with a BDD anode and a commercial carbon felt cathode to electrogenerate in situ H2O2 and regenerate ferrous ions as catalyst. The effects on operating parameters, such as applied current, pyrite concentration and initial dye content, were investigated. AHPS decay and mineralization efficiencies were monitored by HPLC analyses and TOC measurements, respectively. Experimental results showed that AHPS was quickly oxidized by hydroxyl radicals (OH) produced simultaneously both on BDD surface by water discharge and in solution bulk from electrochemically assisted Fenton's reaction with a pseudo-first-order reaction. AHPS solutions with 175 mg L(-1) (100 mg L(-1) initial TOC) content were then almost completely mineralized in 8h. Moreover, the results demonstrated that, under the same conditions, AHPS degradation by pyrite electro-Fenton process was more powerful than the conventional electro-Fenton process.

Treatment of synthetic urine by electrochemical oxidation using conductive-diamond anodes

In this work, the electrochemical oxidation of synthetic urine by anodic oxidation using boron-doped diamond as anode and stainless steel as cathode was investigated. Results show that complete depletion of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) can be attained regardless of the current density applied in the range 20-100 mA cm(-2). Oxalic and oxamic acids, and, in lower concentrations, creatol and guanidine were identified as the main intermediates. Chloride ions play a very important role as mediators and contribute not only to obtain a high efficiency in the removal of the organics but also to obtain an efficient removal of nitrogen by the transformation of the various raw nitrogen species into gaseous nitrogen through chloramine formation. The main drawback of the technology is the formation of chlorates and perchlorates as final chlorine products. The increase of current density from 20 to 60 mA cm(-2) led to an increase in the rate of COD and TOC removals although the process becomes less efficient in terms of energy consumption (removals of COD and TOC after applying 18 Ah dm(-3) were 93.94 and 94.94 %, respectively, at 20 mA cm(-2) and 89.17 and 86.72 %, respectively, at 60 mA cm(-2)). The most efficient conditions are low current densities and high temperature reaching total mineralization at an applied charge as low as 20 kAh m(-3). This result confirmed that the electrolysis using diamond anodes is a very interesting technology for the treatment of urine.

Electrochemical oxidation of imazapyr with BDD electrode in titanium substrate

In this work we have studied the treatment of imazapyr by electrochemical oxidation with boron-doped diamond anode. Electrochemical degradation experiments were performed in a one-compartment cell containing 0.45 L of commercial formulations of herbicide in the pH range 3.0-10.0 by applying a density current between 10 and 150 mA cm(-2) and in the temperature range 25-45 °C. The maximum current efficiencies were obtained at lower current densities since the electrochemical system is under mass transfer control. The mineralization rate increased in acid medium and at higher temperatures. The treatment was able to completely degrade imazapyr in the range 4.6-100.0 mg L(-1), although the current charge required rises along with the increasing initial concentration of the herbicide. Toxicity analysis with the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri showed that at higher pollutant concentrations the toxicity was reduced after the electrochemical treatment. To clarify the reaction pathway for imazapyr mineralization by OH radicals, LC-MS/MS analyses we performed together with a theoretical study. Ions analysis showed the formation of high levels of ammonium in the cathode. The main final products of the electrochemical oxidation of imazapyr with diamond thin film electrodes are formic, acetic and butyric acids.

Application of electrochemical technology for removing petroleum hydrocarbons from produced water using lead dioxide and boron-doped diamond electrodes

Although diverse methods exist for treating polluted water, the most promising and innovating technology is the electrochemical remediation process. This paper presents the anodic oxidation of real produced water (PW), generated by the petroleum exploration of the Petrobras plant-Tunisia. Experiments were conducted at different current densities (30, 50 and 100 mA cm(-2)) using the lead dioxide supported on tantalum (Ta/PbO2) and boron-doped diamond (BDD) anodes in an electrolytic batch cell. The electrolytic process was monitored by the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the residual total petroleum hydrocarbon [TPH] in order to know the feasibility of electrochemical treatment. The characterization and quantification of petroleum wastewater components were performed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The COD removal was approximately 85% and 96% using PbO2 and BDD reached after 11 and 7h, respectively. Compared with PbO2, the BDD anode showed a better performance to remove petroleum hydrocarbons compounds from produced water. It provided a higher oxidation rate and it consumed lower energy. However, the energy consumption and process time make useless anodic oxidation for the complete elimination of pollutants from PW. Cytotoxicity has shown that electrochemical oxidation using BDD could be efficiently used to reduce more than 90% of hydrocarbons compounds. All results suggest that electrochemical oxidation could be an effective approach to treat highly concentrated organic pollutants present in the industrial petrochemical wastewater and significantly reduce the cost and time of treatment.

Electrochemical degradation of nitrobenzene by anodic oxidation on the constructed TiO2-NTs/SnO2-Sb/PbO2 electrode

The interlayer of Sb-doped SnO2 (SnO2-Sb) and TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2-NTs) on Ti has been introduced into the PbO2 electrode system with the aim to reveal the mechanism of enhanced electrochemical performance of TiO2-NTs/SnO2-Sb/PbO2 electrode. In contrast with the traditional Ti/SnO2-Sb/PbO2 electrode, the constructed PbO2 electrode has a more regular and compact morphology with better oriented crystals of lower size. The TiO2-NTs/SnO2-Sb interlayer prepared by electrodeposition process improves PbO2 coating structure effectively, and enhances the electrochemical performance of PbO2 electrode. Kinetic analyses indicated that the electrochemical oxidation of nitrobenzene on the PbO2 electrodes followed pseudo-first-order reaction, and mass transport was enhanced at the constructed electrode. The accumulation of nitrocompounds of degradation intermediates on constructed electrode was lower, and almost all of the nitro groups were eliminated from aromatic rings after 6h of electrolysis. Higher combustion efficiency was obtained on the constructed TiO2-NTs/SnO2-Sb/PbO2 electrode. The intermediates of nitrobenzene oxidation were confirmed by IC and GC/MS.