ELECTROCHEMICAL INCINERATION OF WASTES

Waste biomass oxidation was carried out on platinum and lead dioxide anodes using a 12M H2SO4 electrolyte. Total organic carbon in the electrolyte was reduced by 95%. The use of ultrasound and the addition of the Ce3+/Ce4+ redox couple to the electrolyte enhanced the rates of waste oxidation. Urine-waste biomass mixtures were electrolyzed indirectly through the anodic generation of OCl−; Cl2 constituted only 0.1% of the evolved gases. These oxidation treatments offer a means of human waste disposal without producing undesirable chemicals such as CO, NO, NO2, CH4, and NH3 in the effluent gas. © 1990, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.