A Novel Electro-Fenton Process with H2O2 Generation in a Rotating Disk Reactor for Organic Pollutant Degradation

Abstract

The feasibility of the electrogeneration of H2O2 and degradation of an organic pollutant by a novel electro-Fenton (EF) process was demonstrated using dual rotating graphite felt disks to supply oxygen instead of the traditional aeration method, with methyl orange (MO) as the model pollutant. The effects of rotating speed, current density, and pH on the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were investigated. At a current density of 50 A/m2, a rotating speed of 10 rpm, and a pH of 3, the concentration of H2O2 reached 116 mg/L in 1 h, which was much higher than that at 0 rpm (37 mg/L). The complete removal of 25 mg/L MO was achieved within 15 min, while the total organic carbon removal efficiency reached 58.7% at 2 h, which was almost 3-fold higher than that at 0 rpm (14.9%). The rotation of disk cathodes resulted in the efficient production of H2O2 without oxygen aeration, offering a potentially cost-effective EF method for degrading organic pollutants.