Bench-Scale Study of Electrochemical Oxidation for On-Site Treatment of Polluted Groundwater
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 9
Abstract
Electrochemical oxidation has been studied in a series of bench-scale tests as a physico-chemical oxidation technique for on-site treatment of very complex polluted groundwater containing pharmaceuticals, chlorinated solvents, volatile organic compounds present in petroleum derivatives, and inorganic salts. Two different cells were applied, one with and the other with Si/boron-doped diamond anode material, representing two different classes of anode materials for organic oxidation. Chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon analysis were used to assess performance, and the influence of changing recirculation flow and applied current density was studied. Si/boron-doped diamond exhibited the highest instantaneous current efficiency of 0.17 at , but further optimization at lower currents closer to the limiting values are needed for the process to be economically attractive. Si/boron-doped diamond exhibited a superior total organic carbon removal, resulting in full mineralization of the organic groundwater contaminants, relative to the higher degree of partial oxidation obtained by . Model consideration demonstrated the importance of bulk oxidation by generated oxidants using the anode, in addition to the high dependence of this process on the flow conditions and applied current.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Bonfatti, F., Ferro, S., Lavezzo, F., Malacarne, M., Lodi, G., and De Battisti, A. (2000). “Electrochemical incineration of glucose as a model organic substrate. 2. Role of active chlorine mediation.” J. Electrochem. Soc., 147(2), 592–596.
Borggaard, O. K., and Gimsing, A. L. (2008). “Fate of glyphosate in soil and the possibility of leaching to ground and surface waters: A review.” Pest Manage. Sci., 64(4), 441–456.
Canizares, P., Saez, C., Sanchez-Carretero, A., and Rodrigo, M. A. (2009). “Synthesis of Novel Oxidants by Electrochemical Technology.” J. Appl. Electrochem., 39(11), 2143–2149.
Capodaglio, A. G., Suidan, M., Venosa, A. D., and Callegari, A. (2010). “Efficient degradation of MtBE and other gasoline-originated compounds by means of a biological reactor of novel conception: Two case studies in Italy and the USA.” Water Sci. Technol., 61(3), 807–812.
Comninellis, C. (1994). “Electrocatalysis in the electrochemical conversion/combustion of organic pollutants for waste water treatment.” Electrochim. Acta, 39(11–12), 1857–1862.
Comninellis, C., Kapalka, A., Malato, S., Parsons, S. A., Poulios, I., and Mantzavinos, D. (2008). “Advanced oxidation processes for water treatment: Advances and trends for R&D.” J. Chem. Technol. Biot., 83(6), 769–776.
Foster, S. S. D., and Chilton, P. J. (2003). “Groundwater: The processes and global significance of aquifer degradation.” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B, 358(1440), 1957–1972.
Hancock, P. J. (2002). “Human impacts on the stream–groundwater exchange zone.” Environ. Manage., 29(6), 763–781.
Hennebel, T.,et al. (2009). “Remediation of trichloroethylene by bio-precipitated and encapsulated palladium nanoparticles in a fixed bed reactor.” Chemosphere, 79(9), 1221–1225.
Huang, L., Yang, Z., Li, B., Hu, J., Zhang, W., and Ying, W.-C. (2011). “Granular activated carbon adsorption process for removing trichloroethylene from groundwater.” AIChE J., 57(2), 542–550.
Kacaroglu, F. (1999). “Review of groundwater pollution and protection in Karst Areas.” Water Air Soil Poll., 113(1–4), 337–356.
Kapalka, A., Foti, G., and Comninellis, C. (2008a). “Investigation of the anodic oxidation of acetic acid on boron-doped diamond electrodes.” J. Electrochem. Soc., 155(3), E27–E32.
Kapalka, A., Foti, G., and Comninellis, C. (2008b). “Kinetic modelling of the electrochemical mineralization of organic pollutants for wastewater treatment.” J. Appl. Electrochem., 38(1), 7–16.
Kapalka, A., Foti, G., and Comninellis, C. (2010). “Basic principles of the electrochemical mineralization of organic pollutants for wastewater treatment.” Electrochemistry for the environment, 1st Ed., Springer, New York, 1–24.
Kavanaugh, M. C., Rao, P. S. C., Abriola, L., Cherry, J., Destouni, G., and Falta, R. (2003). The DNAPL remediation challenge: Is there a case for source depletion?”, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Kovalick, W. W. (2008). “Review of characterization and remediation technologies for NAPLs in groundwater.” Methods and techniques for cleaning-up contaminated sites, Springer, New York, 165–175.
Langwaldt, J. H., and Puhakka, J. A. (2000). “On-site biological remediation of contaminated groundwater: A review.” Environ. Pollut., 107(2), 187–197.
Martinez-Huitle, C. A., and Brillas, E. (2008). “Electrochemical alternatives for drinking water disinfection.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 47(11), 1998–2005.
Martinez-Huitle, C. A., and Brillas, E. (2009). “Decontamination of wastewaters containing synthetic organic dyes by electrochemical methods: A general review.” Appl. Catal. B Environ., 87(3–4), 105–145.
Martinez-Huitle, C. A., and Ferro, S. (2006). “Electrochemical oxidation of organic pollutants for the wastewater treatment: Direct and indirect processes.” Chem. Soc. Rev., 35(12), 1324–1340.
Martinez-Huitle, C. A., Ferro, S., and De Battisti, A. (2004). “Electrochemical incineration of oxalic acid—role of electrode material.” Electrochim. Acta, 49(22–23), 4027–4034.
Martinez-Huitle, C. A., Ferro, S., and De Battisti, A. (2005). “Electrochemical incineration of oxalic acid: Reactivity and engineering parameters.” J. Appl. Electrochem., 35(11), 1087–1093.
Muff, J., and Søgaard, E. G. (2011). “Identification and fate of halogenated PAHs formed during electrochemical treatment of saline aqueous solutions.” J. Hazard. Mater., 186(2–3), 1993–2000.
Mulligan, C. N., Yong, R. N., and Gibbs, B. F. (2001). “Remediation technologies for metal-contaminated soils and groundwater: An evaluation.” Eng. Geol., 60(1–4), 193–207.
Neto, S. A., and De Andrade, A. R. (2009). “Electrochemical degradation of glyphosate formulations at DSA anodes in chloride medium: An AOX formation study.” J. Appl. Electrochem., 39(10), 1863–1870.
Panizza, M., and Cerisola, G. (2009). “Direct and mediated anodic oxidation of organic pollutants.” Chem. Rev., 109(12), 6541–6569.
Rodvang, S. J., and Simpkins, W. W. (2001). “Agricultural contaminants in quaternary aquitards: A review of occurrence and fate in North America.” Hydrogeol. J., 9(1), 44–59.
Scialdone, O., Randazzo, S., Galia, A., and Silvestri, G. (2009). “Electrochemical oxidation of organics in water: Role of operative parameters in the absence and in the presence of NaCl.” Water Res., 43(8), 2260–2272.
Weber, R.,et al. (2008). “Dioxin- and POP-contaminated sites—Contemporary and future relevance and challenges.” Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 15(5), 363–393.
Wragg, A. A., Tagg, D. J., and Patrick, M. A. (1980). “Diffusion-controlled current distributions near cell entries and corners.” J. Appl. Electrochem., 10(1), 43–47.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 15, 2011
Accepted: Feb 24, 2012
Published online: Feb 27, 2012
Published in print: Sep 1, 2012
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.