A comparative study on the efficiency of electro-Fenton process in the removal of propham from water

Electro-Fenton process has been widely used in the treatment of organic pollutants lately. Its oxidation efficiency mainly depends on the electrode materials. In this study, boron doped diamond (BDD), carbon sponge (CS) and platinum (Pt) electrodes were used at four different configurations as anode and cathode. The oxidation efficiencies of BDD anode and CS cathode were investigated together for the first time in the electro-Fenton process. Propham was used as the model pollutant. The obtained results indicate that the decay rate of propham and the mineralization rate of propham aqueous solutions were highest in the case of BDD and CS electrodes as expected. The obtained mineralization current efficiency (MCE) value was 81% at 100 mA in the presence of 0.2 mM Fe3+ for 30 min electrolysis. The oxidative degradation intermediates of propham showed different accumulation characteristics in all configurations. The oxamic acid resisted to mineralization but it rapidly degraded in the presence of BDD anode.