Use of an acidic Fe/O{sub 2} cell for wastewater treatment: Degradation of aniline
Solutions containing 0.50 mol dm{sup {minus}3} Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and aniline concentrations between 129 and 1,000 ppm have been decontaminated using an acidic Fe/O{sub 2} cell with an Fe anode and a carbon-poly(tetrafluoroethylene) O{sub 2}-fed cathode. This system produces spontaneously strong oxidizing radicals, such as OH{sup {sm{underscore}bullet}} and HO{sub 2}{sup {sm{underscore}bullet}}, which react with pollutants. Decontamination is more efficient for solutions with pH > 3 where intermediates coagulate with the Fe(OH){sub 3} precipitate formed. A 95% degradation is reached after 1 h of treatment of 129 ppm of aniline at initial pH 4 and at 35 C. For higher substrate levels, pollutants are quickly destroyed if the pH is regulated between 4 and 5. After 2 h, solutions up to 500 ppm of aniline are almost completely degraded, whereas 81% of the degradation is reached for 1,000 ppm of substrate. Benzoquinone and nitrobenzene are detected as intermediates. An insignificant accumulation of these products is found in the treatment of 1,000 ppm of substrate, suggesting the formation of polymers that coagulate with the Fe(OH){sub 3} precipitate. Low concentrations of ammonium and nitrate ions have been determined in treated solutions. The major part of the initial carbon and nitrogen is retained in the precipitate, indicating that coagulation of intermediates predominates over their mineralization. A reaction pathway for the degradation of aniline involving all intermediates detected is proposed.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. de Barcelona (ES)
- OSTI ID:
- 20013038
- Journal Information:
- Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 146, Issue 12; Other Information: PBD: Dec 1999; ISSN 0013-4651
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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