Cathodic polarization effect on the electro-Fenton regeneration of activated carbon

The regeneration of dye-adsorbed activated carbon (AC) using an electro-Fenton approach was studied and compared with typical regeneration methodologies (thermal, solvent extraction, and Fenton). The cathodic polarization effect of the electro-Fenton process on the AC surface was compared based on the textural and structural properties surface via physicochemical characterization techniques. The total organic carbon decay and color removal of a dye-contaminated model solution were also studied using the different methodologies, and several regeneration cycles were employed for each methodology in order to assess the regeneration efficiency and correlate it with AC structural changes. The results show that the electrochemical process is the best method to regenerate AC because it maximizes the adsorption efficiency (approximately 80-90 %) compared to other methods of regeneration (< 20 %) after 10 working cycles. These results led us to conclude that cathodic polarization regenerates the AC more efficiently than conventional methods.