Electrochemical treatment of paper mill wastewater by electro-Fenton process

The electrochemical oxidation of organics in paper mill wastewater belonging to Halfa industries (Tunisia) was performed by galvanostatic electrolyses using electro-Fenton (EF) process. The effect of several operating parameters, such as applied current density, electrodes material, air pressure and the presence of sodium chloride (NaCl) was evaluated. In particular, carbon felt (CF), modified carbon felt (MCF) and gas diffusion electrode (GDE) were used as cathode while Ti/IrO2-Ta2O5 and Boron Doped Diamond (BDD) as anode. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) measure was chosen as reference parameter to assess the extent of the treatment. The experimental results show that, by adopting the optimal set of operative conditions, EF can allow a high removal of TOC. It was shown that better performances can be achieved increasing the complexity of the treatment, by using sufficiently long electrolysis time or BDD as anode, MCF or GDE as cathode or the addition of NaCl.