Degradation of 2-Naphthol in Aqueous Solution by Electro-Fenton System with Cu-Supported Stainless Steel Electrode

Abstract

For the treatment of 2-naphthol wastewater, the homogeneous electro-Fenton process was considered as an effective method but some disadvantages greatly restrict its application. The three-dimensional electro-Fenton (3D-EF) system using a nano zero-valent iron-supported biochar (NZVIs-BC) particle electrode and a Cu-supported stainless steel electrode (Cu-SSE) was proposed to avoid the disadvantages of the homogeneous electro-Fenton. In this work, the 3D-EF system was developed, which consisted of a Cu-SSE (cathode), a graphite rod (anode) and a NZVIs-BC particle electrode. The effect of the ratio of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate (FS) to rice straw (RS), CuSO4•5H2O amount, initial pH of 2-naphthol wastewater and current intensity (the output current of the power supply) on the removal rate of 2-naphthol were investigated. It is noteworthy that more than 98.36% of the 2-naphthol in aqueous solution was removed by the 3D-EF system, and only about 60.09% of 2-naphthol was removed by the homogeneous electro-Fenton system. Furthermore, naphthalene, benzoic acid, β-naphthoquinone, 1, 2-naphthalenedione, phenol and aromatic hydrocarbon were the main degradation products of 2-naphthol by the 3D-EF system; the toxicity of 2-naphthol wastewater was also greatly reduced.