Oxalic acid mineralization by electrochemical oxidation processes

In this study, two electrochemical oxidation processes were utilized to mineralize oxalic acid which was a major intermediate compound in the oxidation of phenols and other aromatic compounds. The anode rod and cathode net were made of a titanium coated with RuO2/IrO2 (Ti-DSA) and stainless steel (S.S. net, SUS304), respectively. First, the Fered-Fenton process, which used H2O2 and Fe2+ as additive reagents, achieved 85% of TOC removal. It proceeded with ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT), which was evidenced by the accumulation of metallic foil on the selected cathode. However, in the absence of H2O2/Fe2+, it showed a higher TOC removal efficiency while using Cl− only as an additive reagent due to the formation of hypochlorite on the anode. It was also found that the mineralization of oxalic acid by electrolysis generated hypochlorite better than the dosage of commercial hypochlorite without electricity. Also, pH value was a major factor that affected the mineralization efficiency of the oxalic acid due to the chlorine chemistry. 99% TOC removal could be obtained by Cl− electrolysis in an acidic environment.