Electrochemical degradation of acidified reed pulp black liquor with three-dimensional electrode reactor

Abstract

The electrochemical degradation of reed pulp black liquor containing lignin pretreated by acidification method was investigated using a three-dimensional electrode reactor. Using activated carbon as particle electrode, the effects of pH value, reaction temperature, electrolysis time and current on residual concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) were discussed in detail. The optimal conditions were obtained: pH 2.5, influent flow rate of 200 mL/min, 25 °C, 300 mA and 2 h of electrolysis time, and the removal efficiency of TOC maintains at 35.57 %. The results of the electrochemical method indicate that •OH radicals are produced in activated carbon anode in the electrolysis process and then adsorbed on the activated carbon surface. Microcell consists of •OH radicals and the absorbed lignin. With the microcell reaction, the lignin is degraded, while the anodic polarized curve illustrates that the lignin is obviously oxidized in the anode. The contributions of direct and indirect electrolyses to the TOC removal ratio are about 50%, respectively.