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This study focuses on the effect of electrode materials on abatement of lindane (an organochlorine pesticide) by electrooxidation process. Comparative performances of different anodic (platinum (Pt), dimensionally stable anode (DSA) and boron-doped diamond (BDD)) and cathodic (carbon sponge (CS), carbon felt (CF) and stainless steel (SS)) materials on lindane electrooxidation and mineralization were investigated. Special attention was paid to determine the role of chlorine active species during the electrooxidation process. The results showed that better performances were obtained when using a BDD anode and CF cathode cell. The influence of the current density was assessed to optimize the oxidation of lindane and the mineralization of its aqueous solution. A quick (10 min) and complete oxidation of 10 mg L −1 lindane solution and relatively high mineralization degree (80% TOC removal) at 4 h electrolysis were achieved at 8.33 mA cm −2 current density. Lindane was quickly oxidized by in-situ generated hydroxyl radicals, (M( • OH)), formed from oxidation of water on the anode (M) surface following pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. Formation of chlorinated and hydroxylated intermediates and carboxylic acids during the treatment were identified and a plausible mineralization pathway of lindane by hydroxyl radicals was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical degradation of tetracaine hydrochloride has been studied in urban wastewater. Treatments in simulated matrix with similar ionic composition as well as in 0.050 M Na 2 SO 4 were comparatively performed. The cell contained an air-diffusion cathode for H 2 O 2 electrogeneration and an anode selected among active Pt, IrO 2 -based and RuO 2 -based materials and non-active boron-doped diamond (BDD). Electrochemical oxidation with electrogenerated H 2 O 2 (EO-H 2 O 2 ), electro-Fenton (EF) and photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) were comparatively assessed at pH 3.0 and constant current density. The pharmaceutical and its byproducts were oxidized by OH formed from water oxidation at the anode surface and in the bulk from Fenton's reaction, which occurred upon addition of 0.50 mM Fe 2+ in all media, along with active chlorine originated from the anodic oxidation of Cl − contained in the simulated matrix and urban wastewater. The PEF process was the most powerful treatment regardless of the electrolyte composition, owing to the additional photolysis of intermediates by UVA radiation. The use of BDD led to greater mineralization compared to other anodes, being feasible the total removal of all organics from urban wastewater by PEF at long electrolysis time. Chlorinated products were largely recalcitrant when Pt, IrO 2 -based or RuO 2 -based anodes were used, whereas they were effectively destroyed by BDD( OH). Tetracaine decay always obeyed a pseudo-first-order kinetics, being slightly faster with the RuO 2 -based anode in Cl − media because of the higher amounts of active chlorine produced. Total nitrogen and concentrations of NH 4 + , NO 3 − , ClO 3 − , ClO 4 − and active chlorine were determined to clarify the behavior of the different electrodes in PEF. Eight intermediates were identified by GC-MS and fumaric and oxalic acids were quantified as final carboxylic acids by ion-exclusion HPLC, allowing the proposal of a plausible reaction sequence for tetracaine mineralization by PEF in Cl − -containing medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work presents an integrated electrodisinfection/electrocoagulation (ED–EC) process for urban wastewater reuse that employs iron bipolar electrodes. Boron doped diamond (BDD) was used as the anode and stainless steel (SS) as the cathode. A perforated iron plate was introduced between the anode and cathode to function as a bipolar electrode. This ED–EC combined cell makes it possible to conduct the simultaneous removal of microbiological content and elimination of turbidity from urban wastewater. The results show that current densities greater than or equal to 6.70 A m−2 enable complete disinfection of the effluent and the removal of more than 90% of its initial turbidity. Hypochlorite and chloramines formed during the ED–EC process were found to be the main compounds responsible for the disinfection process. Furthermore, a cell configuration of cathode (inlet)-anode (outlet) improves the process performance by enhancing turbidity removal. Finally, the influence of the bipolar electrode material (iron or aluminium) was assessed. The results indicate that the efficiency of the electrodisinfection process depends mainly on the anodic material and is not influenced by the material of the bipolar electrode. In contrast, the removal of turbidity is more efficient when using iron as a bipolar electrode, especially at low current densities, due to the formation of a passive layer on the aluminium that hinders the dissolution of the bipolar electrode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work, a novel integrated electrochemical process for urban wastewater regeneration is described. The electrochemical cell consists in a Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) or a Dimensionally Stable Anode (DSA) as anode, a Stainless Steel (SS) as cathode and a perforated aluminum plate, which behaves as bipolar electrode, between anode and cathode. Thus, in this cell, it is possible to carry out, at the same time, two different electrochemical processes: electrodisinfection (ED) and electrocoagulation (EC). The treatment of urban wastewater with different anodes and different operating conditions is studied. First of all, in order to check the process performance, experiments with synthetic wastewaters were carried out, showing that it is possible to achieve a 100% of turbidity removal by the electrodissolution of the bipolar electrode. Next, the effect of the current density and the anode material are studied during the ED–EC process of actual effluents. Results show that it is possible to remove Escherichia coli and turbidity simultaneously of an actual effluent from a WasteWater Treatment Facility (WWTF). The use of BDD anodes allows to remove the E. coli completely at an applied electric charge of 0.0077 A h dm−3 when working with a current density of 6.65 A m−2. On the other hand, with DSA anodes, the current density necessary to achieve the total removal of E. coli is higher (11.12 A m−2) than that required with BDD anodes. Finally, the influence of cell flow path and flow rate have been studied. Results show that the performance of the process strongly depends on the characteristics of the initial effluent (E. coli concentration and Cl−/NH4 + initial ratio) and that a cell configuration cathode (inlet)–anode (outlet) and a higher flow rate enhance the removal of the turbidity from the treated effluent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The electrochemical oxidation of organics in water was investigated theoretically and experimentally to determine the role of several operative parameters on the performances of the process in the presence and in the absence of sodium chloride. Theoretical considerations were used to design the experimental investigation and were confirmed by the results of the electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid (OA) at boron doped diamond (BDD) or IrO2–Ta2O5 (DSA-O2) anodes in a continuous batch recirculation reaction system equipped with a parallel plate undivided electrochemical cell. Polarization curves and chronoamperometric measurements indicated that, in the presence of chlorides, the anodic oxidation of OA is partially replaced by an indirect oxidation process. This result was confirmed by electrolyses experiments that show that, in the presence of suitable amount of chlorides, oxidation of OA takes place mainly by a homogeneous process. Interestingly, a very different influence of the nature of the anodic material, the flow rate and the current density on the performances of the process arises in the absence and in the presence of chlorides so that optimization of the two processes requires very different operative conditions. In the absence of chlorides, high current efficiency (CE) is obtained at BDD when most part of the process is under charge transfer controlled kinetics, i.e. when low current densities and high flow rates are imposed. On the other hand, in the presence of NaCl, higher CE are generally obtained at DSA anode when high current densities and low flow rates are imposed, i.e. when a high concentration of chemical oxidants is obtained as a result of the chloride oxidation. The effect of other operative parameters such as the OA concentration and the pH were further investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]