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Solar-Assisted Electro-Fenton Systems for Wastewater Treatment

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Electro-Fenton Process

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 61))

Abstract

Herein, an overview over the performance of emerging electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) such as solar photoelectro-Fenton (SPEF) and related solar-assisted methods to remove organic pollutants from acidic wastewaters is presented. These procedures generate •OH at the anode surface from water oxidation and in the bulk from Fenton’s reaction between added Fe2+ and H2O2 generated at a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) fed with pure O2 or compressed air, similarly to the electro-Fenton (EF) process. SPEF involves the additional irradiation of the effluent with sunlight, which causes a synergistic effect on organic destruction due to the formation of more •OH from the photolysis of Fe(OH)2+ species and/or the photolysis of complexes of Fe(III) with generated carboxylic acids. Fundamentals of SPEF are explained to better clarify its characteristics on the removal of industrial chemicals, pesticides, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and real wastewaters. Examples with stirred tank reactors and pre-pilot flow plants equipped with electrochemical reactors containing a Pt or a boron-doped diamond anode and a GDE as cathode, coupled to a solar planar or CPC photoreactor, are given. The use of an autonomous flow plant powered by sunlight is examined. Coupled methods of SPEF with solar photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, and biological treatment are described. The effect of experimental variables on the mineralization, current efficiency, and energy consumption is detailed. The decay kinetics of pollutants and the evolution of intermediates and released inorganic ions are discussed. SPEF is more efficient and less expensive than EAOPs like anodic oxidation and EF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Química Física, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Enric Brillas

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  1. Enric Brillas
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Correspondence to Enric Brillas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science & Eng., Nankai University, Tianjin, China

    Minghua Zhou

  2. Laboratoire Géomaériaux et Environnement, Université Paris-Est, Champs sur Marne, France

    Mehmet A. Oturan

  3. Departament de Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Ignasi Sirés

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Brillas, E. (2017). Solar-Assisted Electro-Fenton Systems for Wastewater Treatment. In: Zhou, M., Oturan, M., Sirés, I. (eds) Electro-Fenton Process. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 61. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2017_37

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