Anodic oxidation of textile dyehouse effluents on boron-doped diamond electrode

The electrochemical oxidation of textile effluents over a boron-doped diamond anode was investigated in the present study. Experiments were conducted with a multi-component synthetic solution containing seventeen dyes and other auxiliary inorganics, as well as an actual effluent from a textile dyeing process. The effect of varying operating parameters, such as current density (4-50 mA/cm2), electrolyte concentration (0.1-0.5 M HClO4), initial solution pH (1-12.3) and temperature (22-43 °C), on process efficiency was investigated following changes in total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color. Complete decolorization accompanied by significant mineralization (up to 85% depending on the conditions) could be achieved after 180 min of treatment. Performance was improved at higher electrolyte concentrations and lower pH values, while the effect of temperature was marginal. Energy consumption per unit mass of COD removed was favored at lower current densities, since energy was unnecessarily wasted to side reactions at higher densities.