Removal of dinitrotoluene sulfonate from explosive wastewater by electrochemical method using Ti/IrO2 as electrode

In this study, explosive wastewater (TNT red water) was treated by electrochemical method using Ti/IrO2 as the anodic electrode. The optimum conditions were determined by analyzing the change of COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal rate and the anode efficiency via current density and pH value. High performance liquid chromatography, UV-vis (ultraviolet visible) spectroscopy, FTIR (fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy and acute toxicity test were used to assess water quality changes before and after electrochemical treatment of TNT red water for 30 h. After electrolysis, the dinitrotoluene sulfonate in TNT red water was completely removed, and the biodegradability of TNT red water was significantly enhanced. The electrolysis process can be well described by pseudo-second-order model.