ELECTROCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF PHENOL-CONTAINING WASTEWATER
Low concentration of phenol (100-800?mg·L -1 ) as a model contaminant for wastewater treatment by electrocatalytic degradation on a fluorine resin modified β -PbO 2 anode has been investigated.Various influence factors such as initial phenol concentration,applied voltage,initial pH and salinity of the electrolyte were examined.It was observed that the COD of the wastewater decreased by 60?mg·L -1 and volatile phenols vanished completely in 25?min under operational temperature 25?℃,applied voltage 7.0?V,K 2SO 4 1.0?g·L -1 ,pH 2.0,and initial phenol concentration 100?mg·L -1 .The method showed promising applicability for treating phenolic wastewater in high acidity and in high salinity without pretreatment such as dilution or neutralization.The main intermediates of phenol degradation were benzoquinone and organic acids such as oxalic acid and maleic acid and the final product was carbon dioxide,therefore the technique could be used as a waste minimization process for recycling the treated water.Pseudo-first order reaction model can be used for the fitness of COD removal.