Electrochemical Degradation of Phenol and 2-Chlorophenol Using Pt/Ti and Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

To test the efficiency of the BDD electrode for complete mineralization of organic wastewater, phenol and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) were treated electrochemically with both an active Pt/Ti electrode and a nonactive boron doped diamond (BDD) electrode, respectively, in neutral aqueous medium. Aqueous solutions of both phenol and 2-chlorophenol were treated electrochemically using an in-house fabricated flow through electrochemical cell (FTEC). The experimental variables included current input, treatment time, and the flow rate of the solutions. Depending on the magnitude of the applied current and reaction time, the compounds were either completely degraded or partially oxidized to other intermediates. Removal efficiencies reached as high as 93.2% and 94.8% both at the Pt/Ti electrode and BDD electrode, respectively, at an applied current of 200 mA for a 3.0 hr reaction and a flow rate of 4 mL/min. The BDD electrode was much more efficient for the complete mineralization of phenol and 2-chlorophenol than the Pt/Ti electrode.