Combined adsorption and electrochemical processes for the treatment of acidic aqueous phenol wastes

This paper describes a combined adsorption/ electrochemical reaction device for the treatment of acidic aqueous phenol wastes. The system works in batch mode. In each operation cycle there are two stages: ( i) treatment of waste, in which the organic matter contained in the waste is removed from the aqueous solution and ( ii) activated carbon regeneration, in which adsorbed organics are removed from the system and converted into carbon dioxide. The system leads to successful treatment of these wastes and transforms the organics contained in the waste into carbon dioxide and electrocoagulated solids. The granular activated carbon ( GAC) bed of the system achieves rapid removal of the organics, with treatment time shorter than those reported for conventional electrochemical treatments. The regeneration of the GAC is achieved by electrochemical means and efficiencies close to 80% are obtained. The energy consumption of this system is similar to those reported for other electrochemical technologies used to treat aqueous wastes.