Degradation of Phenol in Aqueous Solutions Using Electro-Fenton Process

Electrochemical methods as one of the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), have been applied effectively to degradation of recalcitrant organic in aqueous solutions. In the present study, the performance of Electro-Fenton (EF) method using iron electrodes on the oxidation of phenol was studied. This experimental study was performed in batch reactor and the effect of operating parameters such as solution pH, operating time, applied current, H2O2 and phenol concentration was investigated. In this study the H2O2 is manually added while a disposal iron anode is applied as a ferrous ion source. Experimental data indicated that pH, H2O2 and phenol concentration have principal role in the process. The results show that removal efficiency of phenol decreased with increasing pH, so that the maximum efficiency 26% was obtained at pH 10, also decreasing of H2O2 concentration decreased the efficiency. Optimal condition for removing 100% of phenol was found after 30 min of reaction at pH = 3.0, H2O2 concentration 100 mg LG1 and 5 mA cmG2. Electro-Fenton process using iron electrodes for phenol degradation and remediation of wastewater is a promising process in terms of environmental and low-cost features.