Electrochemical incineration of organic pollutants: effect of the nature of the pollutants and of the temperature

The electrochemical oxidation of some organic pollutants, including three carboxylic acids (oxalic, formic and maleic), at boron doped diamond (BDD) and DSA anodes, using galvanostatic alimentation, was investigated in order to study the effect of the temperature and of the nature of the pollutants on the process. In incineration electrolyses, the performances of the process in terms of carboxylic acid conversion and current efficiency dramatically depend on the adopted operative conditions. The abatement of the organic pollutant depends on the nature of the carboxylic acid. Quite interestingly, the opposite effect of the nature of the substrate on the performances of the process was observed at BDD and DSA anodes.