Comparative electrochemical oxidation of the secondary effluent of petrochemical wastewater with electro-Fenton and anodic oxidation with supporting electrolytes

Electro-Fenton (EF) oxidation has high oxidation abilities and is widely used in the treatment of biorefractory and chemically refractory organic wastewater. However, it generates a large amount of iron sludge, which limits large-scale application. In this work, the comparative study of EF oxidation and anodic oxidation (AO) of the secondary effluent of petrochemical wastewater using boron doped diamond anode is carried out. In EF oxidation, the effects of Fe2+ concentration, pH value, and current density are investigated. The optimal conditions consist of the following: Fe2+ concentration of 1.5 mmol.L-1, pH of 4, and current density of 10 mA.cm(-2). In AO process, the effect of adding SO42-, Cl-, NO3-, PO43-, and CO32- is investigated; the optimal conditions can be obtained by adding a Na2SO4 solution (0.075 mol.L-1). When compared with AO, although EF oxidation has a higher treatment efficiency, its energy consumption is higher, and the generated effluent (with 155 g of iron sludge.m(-3)) dramatically increases the post-treatment cost, thereby limiting its large-scale application. For AO with Na2SO4 solution (0.075 mol.L-1) and a COD removal efficiency of 70%, the corresponding treatment time is 1.34 h and the energy consumption is 2.44 kWh.m(-3).

Automated summary

Electro-Fenton (EF) oxidation has high oxidation abilities and is widely used in the treatment of biorefractory and chemically refractory organic wastewater. However, it generates a large amount of iron sludge, which limits its large-scale application. This study compares EF oxidation and anodic oxidation (AO) for the treatment of secondary effluent of petrochemical wastewater and finds that although EF oxidation has higher treatment efficiency, it has higher energy consumption and generates a large amount of iron sludge, increasing the post-treatment cost.