Innovative water treatment system coupled with energy production using photo-Fenton reaction

Abstract

The treatment of colored effluent coupled with energy production using a modified photo-Fenton process has been examined. Fe and carbon plates were employed as an anode and cathode, respectively. In acidic solution, Fe plates would corrode, which leads to elute ferrous ion from Fe plates into the solution and to yield hydrogen gas at the cathode and to generate an electric energy. The eluted ferrous ion could be used for the photo-Fenton reaction. As a result, decolorization of colored effluent and production of electricity and hydrogen could be carried out simultaneously and effectively. It was found that the Orange II concentration in the colored effluent flow decreased up to 84.2% of inlet concentration at 0.8 of relative position in the liquid flow path of continuous photo-reactor. In our proposed system, the energy production, such as an electric power and a hydrogen gas, can be generated at the same time as the decolorization of colored effluent. The produced electric power was 16.5 Wh kg−1-Fereacted. The produced hydrogen gas was estimated as 13 g-H2 kg−1-Fereacted.