Feasibility study of using carbon aerogel as particle electrodes for decoloration of RBRX dye solution in a three-dimensional electrode reactor

The decoloration of RBRX from simulated dye wastewater in three-dimensional electrode reactor using granular carbon aerogels (CAs) as particle electrodes was experimentally investigated. Decolorization ratio can keep as high as 95% in the 100th run of treatment. Particular attention was paid to probe the function of the CAs through comparing the decolorization ratio of three-dimensional electrode reactor with single adsorption and two-dimensional electrode reactor. Conditional experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of various parameters such as cell voltage, air flowrate, particle electrode dose, initial dye concentration and pH of the dye solution. The results showed that the decolorization rate increased with increasing cell voltage and particle electrode dose, but decreased with increasing the initial dye concentration. The decolorization rate increased firstly and then kept almost unchanged with the increase of airflow. In addition, the decolorization rate can be also controlled by the pH of the dye solution. The decolorization of RBRX was based on the break of the azo double bonds and the destruction of the other unsaturated bonds.