Electrochemical oxidation of tetrahydrofurfuryl acohol on boron-doped diamond anode: Influence of current density and electrolyte solution

Abstract

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), a widely applied raw materials, intermediate and solvent in the fields of agricultural, industry (especially in nuclear industry), is a potentially hazardous and non-biodegradable pollutant in wastewater. In this study, the electrochemical degradation pathways of THFA by a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode with different current density (jappl = 20, 40 and 60 mA cm−2) and electrolyte solution (KNO3, KCl and K2SO4) was carefully investigated. The results exhibit that high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and mineralization rates were achieved by rapid non-selective oxidation in electrolyte solutions mediated by hydroxyl radicals (∙OH) and active chlorine (sulfate) under constant current electrolysis. In-depth data analysis using the high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy, the underlying removal pathways of THFA in KNO3, KCl and K2SO4 electrolyte solutions are proposed according to the effect of different mineralization mechanisms.