[Effect of cathode material on electrolytic treatment of Acid Orange 7 by a three-phase three-dimensional electrode...

The simulative wastewater containing Acid Orange 7 (AO7) of 300 mg/L was electrolytically treated by a three-phase three-dimensional electrode reactor. Particular attention was paid on the comparison of treatment efficiency of different cathodes in the system. Intermediate products and concentration of *OH and H2O2 were further investigated using HPLC, UV-Vis scan and GC-MS, with the purpose of investigating the electrolysis behavior of AO7 with different cathodes. Results showed that activated carbon fiber (ACF) cathode was more effective than graphite or stainless steel cathode. Despite all of the three investigated cathodes showed high efficiency in the decolorization of AO7 (more than 96% after 60 min of electrolysis under 20 V), the TOC removal ratio of ACF system (57.4%) was much higher than those of the other two. Although the generation of *OH and H2O2 were both found in the three systems, the concentration in the system with ACF as the cathode was much higher than those in the other two, which resulted in the better mineralization ability. Moreover, the same degradation route of AO7 was found in the three systems, which involved the generation of ketone and naphthol compounds.