Abstract:
Effluents of the coking industry cannot be effectively
treated in biological treatment units because of non-biodegradable
organic matters and phenolic compounds present in the wastewater. In
this study, post-treatment of biologically treated coking wastewater via
the electro-Fenton process was investigated to minimize the effects of
discharge of this kind of wastewater on the environment. The electro-
Fenton experiments were performed using cast iron electrodes.
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phenol were selected as the target
parameters. The optimum operating conditions were as follows: reaction
time ¼ 10 minutes, pH ¼ 3.0, electrical current ¼ 1.0 A, and [H2O2] ¼
2000 mg/L. Under these conditions, COD and phenol removal
efficiencies were 67.8% and 98.0%, respectively. In addition, it was
determined that COD removal followed first-order reaction kinetics.
Consequently, the electro-Fenton process was determined as an effective
alternative post-treatment method for coking industry effluents. Water
Environ. Res., 85, 391 (2013).