Electrochemical Technique for Industrial Wastes Treatment by Anodic Oxidation in a Batch Reactor

• Main Author: Hoda Roushdy Guendy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria University 2009-09-01
• Series: Journal of High Institute of Public Health
• Subjects: electrochemical; industrial; wastes; anodic oxidation; treatment

Some industrial effluents are toxic, posing a threat not only to human beings of surroundings, but also to the ground and surface water resources. There are three ways to reduce pollution: (1) use of new, less pollution technologies; (2) effective treatment of effluent so that it conforms to specified discharge requirements; and (3) recycling waste several times over before discharge. As a novel advanced oxidation process (AOP), electrochemical oxidation process is powerful for degrading most organic compounds including toxic and non-biodegradable ones, and, so, it has attracted great attention. In this context electro oxidation (E.O.) was tested as an alternative method for oxidation of wastewater containing dyes in a batch electrochemical reactor. Variables studied were: Initial dye concentration, pH, applied current, solution flow rate, type of anode material and time duration of anodic oxidation (A.O.).It was found that the percentage of dye removal increased with increasing the applied current, duration of anodic oxidation, solution flow rate and with decreasing the initial dye concentration at pH 7 and room temperature (25±2Co). The best economic results seemed to be under the following condition: flow rate 25ml/sec. current 1 ampere, lead spheres used as anode and pH 6- 7 at room temp., where 91.9% reduction in colour takes place in 120 min. and 85.3% at 90 min. The mass transfer coefficient was found to increase with increasing reactor current density and decreasing the initial dye concentration. The anode material also was found to play an important part in the anodic oxidation process. Lead spheres anode was more effective than stainless steel.