Oxidative and energetic efficiency of different electrochemical oxidation processes for chloroanilines abatement in aqueous medium

The oxidative efficiency and energy consumption, in the degradation of chloroanilines by anodic oxidation, indirect oxidation with electrogenerated hydrogen peroxide and electro-Fenton have been compared, using a laboratory system driven by a LabVIEW virtual controller. Solutions were oxidized in an undivided cell, where H2O2 was generated electrochemically by reduction of atmospheric oxygen bubbled at a carbon cloth cathode. The electro-Fenton process showed the best degradation power, in terms of efficiency of removal and energy consumption. This process was applied to the purification of a solution obtained by washing a polluted soil. Under laboratory conditions, electro-Fenton removed 75% COD of this wastewater with a specific energy consumption of 0.3 kW h per gram of COD, corresponding to 41.8 kW h m−3.