EFFECT OF ELECTRODE MATERIALS ON ELECTROCHEMICAL REMOVAL OF REACTIVE BLACK 5

Dyes and pigments have a large number of applications ranging from paints and coatings, textile, construction, printing inks, and plastics. Dyeing sector is known to be a highly water intensive sector. Typically, untreated dyes wastewaters from dyestuff production and dyeing industries are highly coloured and bio-resistant in nature due to complex chemical structures. This paper focuses on the application of electrochemical technology as an advanced recalcitrant wastewater treatment alternative providing merits of flexibility, energy efficiency, possibility of automation, cost effectiveness and environmental benignity. In the present work, attempts are made to assess the electrochemical treatment efficacy of synthetic Reactive Black -5 wastewater in terms of quantifiable performance parameters like Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), color intensity reduction, specific energy consumption and current efficiency. Indigenously prepared mixed metal oxide electrodes, Ti/SnO2-Sb2O5 and Ti/CeO2-RuO2-SnO2- Sb2O5,by thermal decomposition method are used for batch experimental studies. A comparison is also drawn based on the use of commercially available mixed metal oxide electrode for the same study. Ti/CeO2-RuO2-SnO2-Sb2O5 electrode emerges out to be a superior electrode due to lower specific energy consumption by 4.8% and 2.4% compared to Ti/SnO2-Sb2O5 and commercial anodes respectively. COD and TOC decays, currency efficiency and color reduction are comparable for both Ti/CeO2-RuO2-SnO2-Sb2O5 and commercial MMO anodes attributed to the presence of RuO2 and CeO2 serving as efficient electro catalysts. COD and TOC removal efficiencies are almost 7% higher for commercial MMO and Ti/CeO2-RuO2-SnO2-Sb2O5 compared to Ti/SnO2-Sb2O5 electrode.