Process optimization and mechanism study of acid red G degradation by electro-FentonFeox process as an in situ generation of H₂O₂

Authors: HAILONG SUN, YINGWU YAO, FENG WEI, QIANG ZHAO, BAICHEN LIU, LIMAN ZHANG

Abstract: Dye-contaminated wastewaters are industrial wastewaters that are difficult to treat using traditional biochemical and physicochemical methods. In the present work, the acid red G was removed as a model pollutant by the electro-Fenton process for the first time. The anode and cathode used by the electro-Fenton process were iron plate and graphite felt, respectively. It was concluded that under the optimal conditions of current density = 20 mA cm^-2, pH = 3 and initial Na₂SO₄ concentration = 0.2 M, the removal rate of acid red G (ARG) with an initial concentration of 300 mg L^-1 could reach 94.05% after 80 min of electrolysis. This reveals that the electro- Fenton-Feox process used in this work has an excellent removal efficiency on acid red G. The required reagents (Fe²⁺ and H₂O₂) were generated by the electrode reaction, while the optimal generation conditions and mechanism of •OH, H₂O₂, and Fe²⁺ were investigated. By testing •OH, H₂O₂, and Fe²⁺ agents at different pH and current densities, it was revealed that the electro-Fenton reaction was most efficient when the current density was 20 mA cm^-2, and the pH was 3. Moreover, the removal rate of ARG is consistent with first-order reaction kinetics.

Keywords: Electro-Fenton, dyeing wastewater, acid red G, kinetics

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