Electrochemical degradation of Acid Blue and Basic Brown dyes on Pb/PbO2 electrode in the presence of different conductive electrolyte and effect of various operating factors

Electrocatalytic degradation of Acid Blue and Basic Brown dyes from simulated wastewater on lead dioxide anode was investigated in different conductive electrolytes. It was shown that complete degradation of these dyes is dependent primarily on type and concentration of the conductive electrolyte. The highest electrocatalytic activity was achieved in the presence of NaCl (2 g/l) and could be attributed to indirect oxidation of the investigated dyes by the electrogenerated hypochlorite ions formed from the chloride oxidation. In addition, contribution from direct oxidation could also be possible via reaction of these organic compounds with the electrogenerated hydroxyl radicals adsorbed on the lead dioxide surface. In the presence of NaOH, the electrocatalytic activity of the employed anode was not comparable to that in NaCl due primarily to the absence of chloride. This indicates that dyes degradation in NaOH occurs exclusively via direct electrochemical process. However, in H2SO4, the electrode performance was poor due partially to the absence of chloride from the conductive solution. The possibility of electrode poisoning as a result of growth of adherent film on the anode surface or production of stable intermediates not easily further oxidized by direct electrolysis in H2SO4 might also be accountable for the poor performance observed in this conductive electrolyte. Optimizing the conditions that ensure effective electrochemical degradation of Acid Blue and Basic Brown dyes on lead dioxide electrode necessitates the control of all the operating factors.