Electrochemical Heterogeneous Catalytic Degradation of Wastewater Containing Phenol

Abstract

An electrochemical–heterogeneous catalytic process was applied to remove phenol from wastewater. Three key factors—applied potential, supporting electrolyte concentration, and pH—were tested for their effects on the phenol removal. The optimal condition was determined as an applied potential of 25 V, Na 2 SO 4 concentration of 500 mg L −1 , and a pH of 2.5. Under the optimal condition, the phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals were 83.7% and 42.9%, respectively. The apparent kinetics of phenol removal could be expressed as a pseudo first‐order reaction. In addition, a possible mechanism of phenol degradation was proposed based on the intermediate products.