Abstract
Wet electrolytic oxidation (WEO) is electrochemical oxidation conducted at subcritical water temperature and pressure. Under these conditions, the electrolytic reaction of water is very different from the reaction usually seen in water electrolysis. Electrolysis of an aqueous NaCl solution at 250°C proceeds without the evolution of any oxygen, chlorine or even hydrogen. Rapid oxidation of organics to CO2 occurs in WEO with the production of hydrogen. Further addition of an oxidizer enhances the electrochemical oxidation of organics with the suppression of hydrogen evolution. AOX compounds found in usual electrooxidation are not formed in WEO treatment. When WEO is applied to sludge treatment, colors are drastically reduced and there is an increase in the yield of organic acids. The biodegradability increases by up to 50% and the treated water shows higher methane yields during anaerobic fermentation.
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Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan for their financial support related to the treatment of organic sludge by WEO.
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Serikawa, R.M. (2010). Wet Electrolytic Oxidation of Organics and Application for Sludge Treatment. In: Comninellis, C., Chen, G. (eds) Electrochemistry for the Environment. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68318-8_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68318-8_15
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