Pharmaceutical Residues Removal in Two- and Three-Dimensional Electrochemical Process by Orange Peels as a Third Electrode

Abstract

Abstract Pharmaceutical waste is considered an environmental burden, due to its incomplete treatment in traditional treatment plants, so the aim of this study was to remove tetracycline in a two- and three-dimensional electrochemical system, using nano zerovalent Iron (nZVI) prepared from orange peel extract after fixing it with CMC as third granular electrodes. The using of Fourier instrument infrared (FTIR), Bruneian-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis. Electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to study the physical and chemical properties of nZVI, the electrochemical system consists of graphite anode and stainless steel as cathode, with The use of several parameters in different values such as reaction time, pH, tetracycline concentration, and current density . From the results it was found that the efficiency of the three-dimensional electrochemical system is more than the two-dimensional in the removal of tetracycline, it was found that the removal efficiency is 99% for the 3D system while 78% for the 2D system. The optimal operating conditions for the 3D were pH 4.5, reaction time 30 min, 0.25 g/L Na2SO4, current density 40 mA/cm2, and tetracycline concentration 160 mg/L. While for 2D, the were pH 5.5, the reaction time 40 minutes, current density 50 mA/cm2, and the concentration of tetracycline 160 mg/L. .so that, 3D electrochemical process is an innovative alternative with excellent efficiency of removing tetracycline from the wastewater.