Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ELECTROLYSIS OF POLLUTANTS
1. Direct and indirect electrolysis
2. Mineralization
a) Incineration
b) Wet Air Oxidation (WAO)
c) Chemical oxidation with strong oxidants
d) Electrochemical mineralization
3. Thermodynamics of electrochemical mineralization
4. Direct electromineralization
5. Indirect electromineralization
a. Reversible processes
b. Irreversible processes
INDIRECT MINERALIZATION
Figure en los apuntes de clase mirar ahí
Por mineralización entendemos: you completely transform your pollutant into CO2 and
H2O or eteroatoms
MINERALIZATION IS CLASSIFIED IN THREE MAIN CATHEGORIES (Referred to
the traditional methods).
a) Incineration (It takes place at temperatures around 800-1000ºC It’s basically a
combustion in presence of excess of air).
It’s nearly an instantaneous process. You have byproducts that are gases: NOx,
SO2,HCl,ashes)
Good: COD>100g/L
We have the volume of the water, the faraday constant, and the current you set
in the electrolyzer.
The total difference in COD is considered with respect to the current given.
K2CR2O7 IN H2SO4 → When you want to measure COD by adding
K2CR2O7 in H2SO4 into the waters.
K2CR2O7 will oxidize any organic material. After this reaction has occurred,
you measure the unreated by titration because you know at time=0 how much
you added, so, you cam determine the excess. COD units mg/L.
We compare the current that is used to oxidize the organic compounds to the
theoretical current if we don’t oxidize anything. By doing this comparison, we can
express the efficiency related to the oxidation or organics.
When we have the EOD we can calculate the degree of oxidation of organics by
any by-product.
X=EOD/COD*
If EOD is low respect to COD*, we won`t get close to mineralization.
Primary degradation: 20%
Final degradation: 70% it’ also called COMPLETE MINERALIZATION
PUNTO 4. DIRECT ELECTROMINERALIZATION
Pollutants react directly in the anode. There are not intermediates. Electrodes should not
corrode. Very positive values.
It’s not easy to predict the electrostability under real conditions. However we know the
metals Ir, Rn are very stable but too expensive. For this reason another alternative is Ni,
Pb. It’s also possible to use vitreous carbon reticule GC, Graphite, titanium, stainless
steel,…
WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE ANODE →
DIFFERENT ANODIC MATERIALS WILL PRODUCE DIFFERENT PRODUCTS.
SP IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE NATURE OF THE BY-PRODUCTS.
a) Phenols
Produced by variety of wastewaters.
If the concentration is high, the are treated by chemicals.
Using anodes that have high overpotential for oxygen evolution. FOR
EXAMPLE:
PbO2, Graphite, Ti/TiO2, or Ti/SnO2.
This means that we can polarize this material with positive potential without
produce oxygen.
The by-products will give polymeric materials at the films on the electrode and
they will also slow down oxidation of the pollutant.
b) Aromatic amines
They react due to hemoglobine. They are found in wastewater from perfumes.
Paper, petroleum, rubber industry,…
d) Waste biomass
This can be oxidized using led anodes in sulfuric acid
Electrochemical incineration (Mineralization is over 90%). Not producing
undiserable gases. Generally incineration produces CO, NO,NO2,CH4,NH33
which in this case they are not produce (ADVANTAGE FROM
ELECTROCHEMICAL INCINERATION).
e) Cyonides