Energy consumption and reaction rate optimization combining turbulence promoter and current modulation for electrochemical mineralization

Autor(es)

Faria, Lurima U. S. ^[1] ; Oliveira, Kaique S. G. C. ^[1] ; Veroli, Alyne B. ^[1] ; Aquino, Jose M. ^[2] ; Ruotolo, Luis A. M. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem Engn, Rod Washington Luiz, Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem, Rod Washington Luiz, Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL; v. 418, AUG 15 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Electrooxidation stands out as a promising technique for treating effluents containing toxic organic compounds. However, the high energy consumption remains an obstacle to its large-scale application. The aim of this work was to optimize the electrooxidation process by combining current modulation, where the applied current was maintained close to the limiting value, with turbulence promoters (TPs) to improve the mass transfer, consequently shortening the mineralization time. Electrooxidation was performed in an electrochemical flow reactor, with phenol selected as a model compound. A plastic mesh turbulence promoter (MTP) and reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) were evaluated as TPs. The combined approach enabled reduction of the energy consumption from 168 +/- 31 kWh kg(-1) TOC (galvanostatic mode) to 72 +/- 6 kWh kg(-1) TOC {[}modulated current (MC) + MTP]. Additionally, the improvement of the mineralization kinetics reduced the electrolysis time by similar to 30%. Under galvanostatic conditions, use of the RVC outperformed the mineralization performance observed using the MTP, but similar efficiency was observed applying the MC mode at low flow velocities. The results reinforced the potential of electrooxidation as an option for the treatment of effluents, paving the way to obtain a process with fast degradation kinetics and high mineralization efficiency, leading to low energy consumption. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 17/19838-5 - Dessalinização e separação de aminoácidos por eletrossorção utilizando eletrodos de grafeno ativado
• Beneficiário: Luis Augusto Martins Ruotolo
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular