Application of Electro-Fenton (EF) Process to the Removal of Pentachlorophenol from Aqueous Solutions

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a very hazardous compound which enters into the environment by industries such as refineries and petrochemicals. As its biological degradation is very slow, this use may cause the pollution of soils and groundwater; with the recent emergence of pentachlorophenol contamination as an important drinking water quality issue, finding an easy, economical, and useful method to remove it has been attracted interest. In this study, the performance of an electro-Fenton process (EFP) for the elimination of PCP from an aquatic environment was evaluated. The effects of important operational variables such as reaction time, pH, the applied voltage, and the distance between the electrodes on the degradation of solution were investigated. The maximum PCP removal was obtained at a distance of 3 cm, a pH of 3, a voltage of 24 volt, and the treatment time of 40 min. This study demonstrated that the distance between the electrodes, pH, the applied voltage, and the treatment time have significant effects on the electron-Fenton process and this process is suitable for the treatment of PCP-polluted waste waters.