Enhanced electrokinetic remediation of polluted kaolinite with an azo dye

In this work, the feasibility of the combination of electrokinetic remediation and electrochemical oxidation for the remediation of polluted soil with organic compounds had been development and evaluated in kaolinite spiked with Reactive Black 5 (RB5) an azo dye. The process consists in the use of two combined phenomena to achieve a full remediation of RB5 spiked kaolinite and the degradation of the organic pollutant. Those phenomena were soil electrokinetic treatment combined to liquid electrochemical oxidation. Reactive Black 5 (0.39 g dye kg−1) could be effectively removed from the kaolinite matrix by electrokinetics, however the removal results largely depended on the operating conditions. Complete removal of RB5 was achieved using K2SO4 as processing fluid (which enhanced the desorption of RB5 from the kaolinite matrix) and operating with pH control at 7 on the anode. This favoured the alkalinization of the system and, at high pH values, RB5 was ionized and migrated towards the anode chamber where it was collected and could be oxidized electrochemically. Also, it must be pointed out that in these optimized conditions the electric power consumption (56 kW/mg of removed dye) was ten times lower compared to the unenhanced electrokinetic process (with no pH-control in the electrode solutions). Separate electrochemical decolourization tests of RB5 showed the effectiveness of K2SO4 in the efficiency of the process. A linear relationship between K2SO4 concentration and the decolourization rate was found. Thus, nearly complete decolourization was achieved after 2 and 3 h of electrochemical treatment when the electrolyte concentration was 0.1 and 0.01 M of K2SO4, respectively.