Effect of activated carbon fiber anode structure and electrolysis conditions on electrochemical degradation of dye wastewater

The alizarin red S (ARS) in simulated dye wastewater was electrochemically oxidized using an activated carbon fiber (ACF) felt as an anode. The influence of electrolytic conditions and anode structure on the dye degradation was investigated. The results indicated that initial pH, current density and supporting electrolyte type all played an important role in the dye degradation. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of dye solution in neutral or alkaline medium was about 74% after 60 min of electrolysis, which was higher than that in acidic medium. Increasing current density would lead to a corresponding increase in the dye removal. The addition of NaCl could also improve the treatment effect by enhancing the COD removal efficiency 10.3%. For ACF anodes, larger specific surface area and higher mesopore percentage could ensure more effective electrochemical degradation of dye. The data showed that the color removal efficiency increased from 54.2 to 83.9% with the specific surface area of ACF anodes increasing correspondingly from 894 to 1682 m2/g.