Comparative Study of Electrocoagulation and Electrooxidation Processes for the Degradation of Ellagic

Abstract

A comparative study of electrocoagulation and electrooxidation processes for the degradation of ellagic acid from aqueous solution was carried out. For the electrocoagulation process, metallic iron was used as electrodes whereas graphite and RuO2/IrO2/TaO2 coated titanium electrodes were used for the electrooxidation processes. The effect of the process variables such as initial pH, concentration of the supporting electrolyte, applied current density, electrolysis time, and anode materials on COD removal were systematically examined and discussed. Maximum COD removal of 93% was obtained at optimum conditions by electrocoagultion using an iron electrode. The ellagic acid was degraded completely by electrooxidation using graphite electrodes under the optimum conditions. During electrooxidation, the chloride ion concentration was estimated and the effect of the Cl- ion was discussed. The finding of this study shows that an increase in the applied current density, NaCl concentration, and electrolysis time enhanced the COD removal efficiency. The UV-Vis spectra analysis confirms the degradation of ellagic acid from aqueous solution.