Electrochemical bleaching of kraft bagasse pulp using a new cell design

In situ single‐stage electrochemical bleaching of kraft bagasse pulp was carried out in a cylindrical agitated vessel fitted with four graphite rod anodes and a cylindrical stainless steel screen cathode, using NaCl as an electrolyte. The effect of current density, pH, NaCl concentration, impeller rotational speed, temperature, and pulp consistency on the rate of bleaching was studied. It was found that the rate of bleaching increased with increasing current density, NaCl concentration, and temperature and decreased with increasing pH and pulp consistency. The effect of temperature was found to fit Arrhenius equation with an activation energy of 0.515 kcal/mol, which denotes a diffusion‐controlled mechanism. Energy consumption (EC) calculation showed that EC ranged from 0.225 to 3.11 kWh/kg dry pulp depending on the current density. The strength of bleached pulp was little affected by bleaching lying within an acceptable range.     

Optimization of the process parameters for an electrochemical preparation of strontium perchlorate

The electrochemical preparation of strontium perchlorate, Sr(ClO₄)₂, from strontium chlorate employing platinum anode and a rotating stainless steel cathode is described. The effect of electrolyte concentration, current density, pH and temperature of the electrolyte and cathode rotation on current efficiency for the preparation of strontium perchlorate was studied. A maximum current efficiency of 42% was achieved corresponding to an energy consumption of 6.1 kWh. kg⁻¹.     

Electrochemical oxidation of Crystal Violet in the presence of hydrogen peroxide

BACKGROUND: The combination of electrochemical oxidation using a Ti/RuO₂? IrO₂ anode with hydrogen peroxide has been used for the degradation of Crystal Violet. The effect of major parameters such as initial pH, hydrogen peroxide concentration, current density, electrolyte concentration and hydroxyl radical scavenger on the decolorisation was investigated. RESULTS: The decolorisation rate increased with initial pH and hydrogen peroxide concentration, but decreased with electrolyte and radical scavenger concentration. The decolorisation rate increased with current density, but the increase became insignificant after current density exceeded 47.6 mA cm^?2. On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide decomposition rate increased with initial pH and current density, but decreased with electrolyte and radical scavenger concentration. The amount of hydrogen peroxide decomposed during 30 min reaction increased linearly with hydrogen peroxide dosage. The main intermediates were separated and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technique and a plausible degradation pathway of Crystal Violet was proposed. At neutral pH, the electrochemical process in the presence of hydrogen peroxide was more efficient than that in the presence of Fenton's reagent (electro‐Fenton process). CONCLUSION: The anodic oxidation process could decolorise Crystal Violet effectively when hydrogen peroxide was present. Almost complete decolorisation was achieved after 30 min reaction under the conditions 2.43 mmol L^?1 hydrogen peroxide, 47.6 mA cm^?2 current density and pH₀ 7, while 62% COD removal efficiency was obtained when the reaction time was prolonged to 90 min. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Isolation of ethylenediamine from industrial solution of ethylenediamine hydrochloride by electrodialysis

An industrial solution of ethylenediamine hydrochloride which contains about 18% chloride and 12% amine was electrodialysed in a five‐compartment cell to obtain pure ethylenediamine. Different parameters such as alkali concentration and current density were studied to optimise conditions of maximum current efficiency for amine recovery and chloride removal from the feed solution. The Suitabilities of different ion‐exchange membranes for electrodialysis were compared. Variation in current efficiency for amine recovery with increases in the concentration of amine during electrodialysis was also studied. Current efficiency for amine recovery and chloride removal is about 78% and 91% respectively under optimum conditions. The amount of electrical energy consumed is 12.1 kWh kg^?1 for ethylenediamine recovery and 8.6 kWh kg^?1 for chloride removal. The concentration of pure amine obtained after the electrodialysis was around 20%. The results are encouraging for industrial applications whereby ethylenediamines free from chlorides can be isolated. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Soda—Oxygen bleaching of kraft bagasse pulp

Soda—oxygen bleaching of commercially available kraft bagasse pulp has been investigated. Alkali charge, temperature and oxygen pressure are important factors in controlling brightness and physical properties of the pulps produced. Pulp yields, lignin and degree of polymerisation of the bleached pulps decreased with increasing alkali charge from 2 to 6%. Strength properties as well as brightness increased by increasing alkali charge at 368 K, whereas optimum strength properties are obtained with 4% alkali at 383 K. In the range of oxygen pressure used, 5–8 kg cm^?2, DP as well as strength properties of the bleached pulps increased with increasing oxygen pressure. Brightness up to 61% was reached by soda-oxygen alone. To obtain higher brightness an afterbleaching step is necessary. The soda—oxygen—hypochlorite and soda—oxygen—chlorite pulps prepared have strength properties comparable with those of conventionally bleached pulps.     

Treatment of Endocrine Disrupting Chemical From Aqueous Solution by Electrocoagulation

The removal of endocrine disrupting chemical (BPA; Bisphenol–A) from aqueous solution was experimentally investigated by electrocoagulation process. The effects of different combinations of aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) electrode pair, supporting electrolyte type, supporting electrolyte concentration, initial pH and applied current density and initial BPA concentration on the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and energy consumption performances were critically evaluated. The experiment results indicate that Al–Al electrode pair is the most efficient choice of the four electrode pairs. The COD removal efficiency was increased when NaCl was used as the supporting electrolyte instead of Na₂SO₄ and NaNO_3. The optimum supporting electrolyte type and its concentration, initial pH, applied current density and treatment time were found to be NaCl, 0.05 M, pH 7.0, 12 mA cm^?2 and 40 min, respectively. Energy consumption was found to decrease with increase of NaCl concentration while it increases with increasing applied current density. The initial and treated sample was characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy to confirm the treatment efficiency. The sludge formed during electrocoagulation was characterized by XRD and SEM/EDAX analysis.     

Phosphorus Removal from Continuous Phosphate-Contaminated Water by Electrocoagulation using Aluminum and Iron Plates Alternately as Electrodes

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the main parameters on phosphate removal from continuous phosphate-contaminated water by electrocoagulation based on removal rate and system energy consumption. In the experiment, aluminum and iron plates were used as alternate electrodes and experiment parameters included initial phosphate concentration, current density, flow rate, and initial pH. The results indicated that increases of initial phosphate concentration and flow rate had reduced removal rate and energy consumption. Removal rate and system energy consumption increased by increasing current density. The maximum removal efficiency of 90% was obtained at flow rate 40 mL/min. The minimum energy consumption was 0.165 kWh/m³ at flow rate 100 mL/min. With the increase of initial pH from 4 to 8, the removal rate increased and energy consumption decreased. When the pH was above 8, the removal rate decreased and energy consumption increased. The maximum removal efficiency of 92% and minimum energy consumption of 0.191 kWh/m³ were obtained at pH 8.     

Electrochemical degradation of textile dyeing industry effluent in batch and flow reactor systems

Electrochemical oxidation of organic pollutants present in the dye-bath and wash water effluents from the textile industry was carried out in batch, batch recirculation and recycle reactor configurations under different conditions of current density, treatment duration, effluent flow rate and electrode specific surface. COD reduction of 52.63% to 82.61% could be obtained when the Procion blue dye-bath effluent was treated in the batch reactor for 8 h. In batch recirculation reactor, the reduction was 94.3% for dye-bath effluent and 91.4 for wash water effluent after 6 h of operation at a current density of 5.0 A dm^?2 and flow rate of 100 L h^?1. The specific energy consumption was found to be 4.32 kWh (kg COD)^?1 for dye-bath effluent and 83.8 kWh (kg COD)^?1 for wash water effluent. The results for wash water effluent under continuous operation of recycle reactor conditions showed 52.86% of COD removal at recycle flow rate of 100 L h^?1 with discharge flow rate of 3 L h^?1. The specific energy consumption was found to be 11.9 kWh (kg COD)^?1.     

低温氧碱麦草浆的全无氯漂白

单段麦草氧碱浆压力H2O2(Ppt)漂白,在用碱量4%(NaOH计),Na2SiO3用量3%时的脱木素及漂白效果较好,与原浆相比,卡伯值从17.9下降至6.7,下降了62.6%,白度从36.2%ISO上升至73.6%ISO,增加了50.8%,表明Ppt漂白效果明显。压力H2O2漂白后浆料不经螯合直接进行H2O2补漂,与螯合处理后漂白对比,发现两者均可将麦草氧碱纸浆漂至白度80%ISO左右,而采用Ppt-Q-P漂白比Ppt-P漂白的纸浆白度高4.0%ISO左右,浆料黏度在929.6～1 025.0 mL/g之间。     

Electrochemical oxidation of tannery wastewater

Tannery wastewater was treated by an electrochemical oxidation method using Ti/Pt, Ti/PbO₂ and Ti/MnO₂ anodes and a Ti cathode in a two‐electrode stirred batch reactor. The changes in colour concentration, chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia (NH₄⁺), sulfide and total chromium have been determined as a function of treatment time and applied current density. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis, performed on the wastewater samples before and after treatment, as well as on foam samples, is reported. Anode efficiency, rate constants and energy consumption were estimated and discussed. The efficiency of Ti/Pt was 0.802 kgCOD h^?1 A^?1m^?2 and 0.270 kgNH₄⁺ h^?1 A^?1m^?2, and the energy consumption was 5.77 kWh kg^?1 COD and 16.63 kWh kg^?1 of NH₄⁺. The order of efficiency of anodes was found to be Ti/Pt ? Ti/PbO₂ > Ti/MnO₂. The results indicate that the electro‐oxidation method could be used for effective oxidation of tannery wastewater and a final effluent with substantially reduced pollution load can be obtained. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrochemical conversion of phenolic wastewater on carbon electrodes in the presence of NaCl

The electrochemical conversion of highly concentrated synthetic phenolic wastewater was studied on carbon electrodes in a batch electrochemical reactor. The effects of reaction temperature, electrolyte concentration, current density and initial phenol concentration on phenol conversion were elucidated. The wastewater was synthetically prepared and used in reactions carried out generally at 25 °C with an initial phenol concentration of 3500 mg dm^?3. Although current density increased, phenol conversion% and initial phenol conversion rate did not increase correspondingly above 35 °C and an electrolyte concentration of 90 g dm^?3. As the voltage values applied were increased, the increasing current density resulted in fast phenol conversion. Kinetic investigations denoted that overall phenol destruction kinetics was of zero order with an activation energy of 10.9 kJ mol^?1. Under appropriate conditions, phenol was completely converted within 15 min for an initial phenol concentration of 98 mg dm^?3 while 8 h was required to gain 95% conversion using 4698 mg dm^?3. Solid polymeric materials were produced at initial phenol concentrations above 500 mg dm^?3 using the appropriate current density. In the reaction medium, only mono‐, di‐ and tri‐substituted chlorophenols were formed and 100% of all species were either oxidised or contributed to the formation of a polymeric structure. Almost all of the phenol loaded to the reactor was converted into non‐passivating polymeric products, denoting a safe and easy method for the separation of phenol. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Production of active manganese dioxide in an electrochemical pump cell

Active manganese dioxide has been produced in an electrochemical pump cell by the oxidation of manganese sulphate in sulphuric acid and the production rate and current efficiency have been related to the transport of the intermediate (Mn³⁺) ions. Space-time yields of 87–96 mol h^?1 m^?2 have been obtained, with current efficiencies of 93–86%, depending on current density. It is shown that an energy consumption of about 4 kWh kg^?1 can be achieved with continuous production of active MnO₂.     

Veratric acid treatment by anodic oxidation with BDD anode

BACKGROUND: Veratric acid (VA, 3,4‐dimethoxy‐benzoic acid) is representative of the polyphenolic type compounds present in olive mill wastewater (OMW). Given the bactericide factor, the inhibitor character and the anti bacteriological activity of this compound, traditional biological digestion cannot be applied and therefore new technologies, such as electrochemical oxidation using a boron‐doped diamond (BDD) anode have to be considered to avoid its accumulation in the environment. RESULTS: The electrochemical oxidation of aqueous solutions containing 1 mmol L^?1 VA has been investigated using a filter‐press reactor with a BDD anode during galvanostatic electrolysis. The influence of several operating parameters, such as applied current density, temperature, flow‐rate and supporting electrolyte concentration and type has been investigated. The experimental results showed that under the experimental conditions used the oxidation of VA was under mass‐transfer control and VA was completely degraded by the reaction with hydroxyl radicals electrogenerated at the BDD surface. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) decay kinetic followed a pseudo‐first‐order reaction and the apparent rate constant increased with flow rate and temperature. Under optimal experimental conditions of flow‐rate (300 L h^?1), temperature (35 °C) and current density (10 mA cm^?2), 99.5% of COD was removed during 2 h electrolysis, with 16.4 kWh m^?3 energy consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that anodic oxidation with a BDD electrode is an excellent method for the treatment of effluents contaminated with VA and related polyphenols. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of Cyanide from Liquid Waste by Electrochemical Oxidation in a New Cell Design Employing a Graphite Anode

Removal of CN^? from liquid solutions was studied experimentally by an anodic oxidation technique under various operating conditions. A new cell configuration was used, the cell consists of four vertical graphite rod anodes distributed at 90° on the circular circumference at a distance of 3 cm from the wall and surrounded by two cylindrical stainless steel screen cathodes from the inner and the outer side. Parameters investigated are the initial concentration of cyanide ions, applied current density, initial pH of the electrolyte, and electrolyte conductivity. All parameters were investigated at an operating time of 3 h. The % removal increased upon increasing the applied current density, increasing the electrolyte conductivity, and decreasing the initial concentration of CN^?. Increasing initial pH from 4 to 8 increased the % removal by a factor ranging from 55 to 73%, further increase of pH up to 12 slightly increased the % removal (3–8%).

Application of the present electrochemical reactor in treating cyanide containing effluents from different industries was highlighted.     

Conductive‐diamond electrochemical advanced oxidation of naproxen in aqueous solution: optimizing the process

BACKGROUND: Electrochemical advanced oxidation treatment using boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrodes is a promising technology to treat small amounts of toxic and biorefractory pollutants in water. This process has been tested on the degradation of naproxen, a common pollutant drug present in surface waters. To optimize the process a series of experiments have been designed to study the interaction between four variables: pH (over the range 5–11); current (0–320 mA cm^?2); supporting Na₂SO₄ electrolyte concentration (0–0.375 mol L^?1); and solution flow rate (Q_v) between 3.64 and 10.8 cm³ min^?1. RESULTS: Among these variables the influence of current was the greatest, the second was the salt concentration, the third flow rate, and the fourth pH. An ANOVA test reported significance for seven of the fourteen variables involved and the degradation of naproxen was optimized using response surface methodology. CONCLUSIONS: Optimum conditions for naproxen removal (100%) were found to be pH = 10.70, Q_v = 4.10 cm³ min^?1, current density = 194 mA cm^?2 using a supporting electrolyte concentration of 0.392 mol L^?1. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Bleach activation of thermomechanical pulp

Under mild alkaline condition the bleaching activator tetraacetyl ethylenediamine (TAED) forms peroxyacetic acid with sodium perborate and improves the brightness of thermomechanical pulp. The activator makes it possible to bleach the pulp efficiently even without addition of sodium hydroxide at any temperature in the range 40 to 70°C. A mathematical model has been proposed to allow estimation of the total peroxy acid consumption during activated bleaching process. Using this model it is possible to calculate the extent of peroxy acid decomposition by predetermining the rate constant and activation energy. The effect of bleach activation was found to be maximum at temperatures below 60°C. The influences of bleaching time, pH, consistency, temperature and TAED charge on the bleach activation has been evaluated. The activator is effective enough to improve the brightness of sodium perborate bleached pulp at an average charge of about 50 mass% of sodium perborate. Apparently, high consistency dispersive bleaching without free alkali is a technological and economic advantage of the process.     

The Formation of Oxalic Acid During Bleaching of Kraft Pulp

Abstract

Calcium oxalate scaling is a major practical problem in a paper mill, especially in the evaporators, pulp digesters, and the bleach room. The sources of oxalic acid were determined by analysis of mill samples. In the unbleached pulp mill, the source of oxalic acid is the wood. In addition, a major amount of oxalic acid was found to be formed in the bleach room. A laboratory bleaching study was undertaken to establish a quantitative relationship betweeen bleaching conditions and oxalic acid production. Hardwood kraft pulp was bleached using three sequences. The amount of oxalic acid produced was dependent upon the available lignin content of the pulp (Kappa number) and not the oxidant concentration or reaction temperature.     

Electro-oxidation of sodium lauryl sulfate aqueous solutions

The electro-oxidation of dilute aqueous solutions of sodium lauryl sulfate (LS) was studied in the presence of metal ions and sulfuric acid, in order to achieve the complete destruction of the detergent. An undivided cell and rhodiated titanium electrodes were used. The LS concentration was studied as a function of time, added metal ion, pH, temperature, initial current density and detergent concentration. The results obtained showed that 99% LS destruction can be easily achieved and that complete oxidation occurs. LS depletion rate was found to increase with temperature, current density (up to 2 A dm^–2) and detergent concentration but to decrease with pH. The best results were obtained with iron ions dissolved in the electrolyte, but the process rate was nearly independent of Fe concentration above 0.5 mM.     

Organochlorine Formation in Tertiary Amine Catalyzed Pulp Bleaching

An oxygen delignified eucalyptus kraft pulp was bleached by applying a catalytic amount of a tertiary amine, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane, and hypochlorous acid at varying pH, temperature, and time. The bleaching filtrate was analyzed for chloroform and AOX and the pulp for residual lignin, hexenuronic acid, and OX. In comparison with chlorine dioxide bleaching, the novel catalytic bleaching (pH < 6) generated only traces of chloroform and low contents of AOX and OX. Separate catalytic oxidations of authentic hexenuronic acid showed that it was a major precursor of chloroform. The results demonstrate a practical way to reduce organochlorine formation in pulp bleaching and provide new understanding on the reaction pathways that yield chloroform.     

Electrode reaction of the Mn(II)/Mn(Hg) system in concentrated aqueous solutions of Ca(ClO4)2 at higher temperatures

The electrode reaction of the Mn(II)/Mn(Hg) system was studied in Ca(ClO₄)₂ solutions in concentrations ranging from 1 to 13.5 mole kg^?1 and temperature limits from ?5 to 160°C using chronocoulometry and cyclic voltammetry. From the analyses of formal potentials is function of water activity the hydration numbers of Mn(II) ions were estimated. The changes of rate constants and transfer coefficients with the increase of electrolyte concentration and temperature above 5 mole kg^?1 and 85°C, respectively, suggest a change in the rate-determining step from the second to the first electron. The calculated individual rate constants for both steps are presented and their changes with the increase in electrolyte concentration are discussed.