Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Toxic Wastewater using Electrodes based on Transition d-metal Oxides

Abstract

The process of electrooxidation of the active substances Paracetamol (PCT), benzoquinone (BQ) and hydroquinone (HQ) was studied using a set of different dimensionally stable anode (DSA) and Boron doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. Comparison of the efficiency of electrocatalytic anodes was assessed using percent total organic carbon (%TOC) removal and PCT amount removal values. The removal of %TOC in synthetically prepared waters for the BDD anode reached 96%, for DSA electrodes Ti/PbO2-IrO2-RuO2 57%, Ti/IrO2-RuO2-TiO2 35%, Ti/IrO2-RuO2-SnO2 31%, Ti/RuO2-SnO2 30% and Pt 24%. BDD effectively degrades PCT and almost completely mineralizes BQ and HQ. A DSA-Ti/PbO2-IrO2-RuO2 electrode and a BDD electrode were used in the electrooxidation process of real industrial wastewater containing PCT. The BDD electrode had a TOC removal efficiency of 58%, while the DSA-Ti/PbO2-IrO2-RuO2 electrode achieved 52%. Despite similar values of PCT removal by both electrodes, the Ti/PbO2-IrO2-RuO2 anode showed low mineralization of organic matter. The originality of this paper lies in the study of the electrooxidation of real PCT wastewater and the use of a Ti/PbO2-IrO2-RuO2 electrode.