Environmental Technology

ISSN: 0959-3330 (Print) 1479-487X (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tent20

Anodic oxidation of textile wastewaters on boron-

doped diamond electrodes

NourElHouda Abdessamad, Hanene Akrout & Latifa Bousselmi

To cite this article: NourElHouda Abdessamad, Hanene Akrout & Latifa Bousselmi (2015) Anodic
oxidation of textile wastewaters on boron-doped diamond electrodes, Environmental Technology,
36:24, 3201-3209, DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2015.1056235

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2015.1056235

Published online: 17 Jun 2015.

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Environmental Technology, 2015
Vol. 36, No. 24, 3201–3209, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09593330.2015.1056235

Anodic oxidation of textile wastewaters on boron-doped diamond electrodes

NourElHouda Abdessamad, Hanene Akrout and Latifa Bousselmi ∗
Laboratory of Wastewater Treatment, Centre of Water Research and Technologies (CERTE), EchoparkBorjCedria B.P. 273, 8020
Soliman, Tunisia
(Received 18 January 2015; accepted 25 May 2015 )

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential application of the anodic oxidation (AO) on two electrolytic
cells (monopolar (Cell 1) and bipolar (Cell 2)) containing boron-doped diamond electrodes on the treatment of real textile
effluents to study the reuse possibility of treated wastewater in the textile industry process. AO is applied in the flocculation
coagulation pretreatment of both upstream (BH) and downstream (BS) effluents. The chemical oxygen demand (COD)
results show that the final COD removal obtained for the BH effluent in the case of Cell 1 and Cell 2 is 800 and 150 mg
O2 L−1 after 5 and 6 h of electrolysis, respectively. The treatments of the BS effluent allow for obtaining a final COD of
76 mg L−1 for Cell 1 and a total mineralization for Cell 2. The obtained results demonstrate that the apparent mineralization
kinetics of both effluents when using Cell 2 are about four times faster than the one obtained by Cell 1 and highlight the
important contribution of the bipolar cell. Besides, the energy consumption values show that the treatment of the BH effluent
by Cell 1 consumes 865 kWh kg COD−1 against 411 kWh kg COD−1 by Cell 2. Therefore, the use of Cell 2 decreases the
energy cost by 2.1–6.65 times when compared to Cell 1 in the case of the BH and BS effluent treatment, respectively.
Keywords: anodic oxidation; BDD bipolar electrode; textile effluent; current efficiency; energy consumption; electrical
energy per order

1. Introduction technologies of textile effluents, such as coagulation–

The textile industry is one of the leading economic sectors
in many countries all over the world. However, it produces,
during the washing and dyeing processes, large quantities
of wastewater which contain high levels of organic and
inorganic substances.[1,2] These substances are derived
from dyes, reagents, salts and surfactants.[3] Typically,
the dyeing process of 1 kg of cotton fabric requires 150
L of water, 0.6 kg of salts and 0.04 kg of dyes, as well
as various inorganic substances (i.e. NaOH, H2 O2 , etc.)
and auxiliary organic chemicals (i.e. detergents, softening,
dispersing and fixing agents) are also involved.[4,5] Addi-
tionally, during the dyeing process, about 20–25% of the
initial dye content is not fixed on the fabrics and ends up in
the industrial effluents.[6]
Therefore, textile wastewater is characterized by a
strong colour, a broadly fluctuating pH, a high chemical
oxygen demand (COD) and importantly bio-toxicity.[7,8]
Depending on the dye used, the issued effluents could rea-
son the receiving environment’s colouration, and have a
toxic effect on the living organisms. Besides, they affect
adversely the ecosystem and reduce the assimilative capac-
ity of the environment.
Because of these reasons, textile wastewaters need to be
treated in order to meet the discharging standards which are
becoming increasingly more strict. Thus, suitable treatment
flocculation on a biological process, are developed to
reduce and remove their colour and toxicity.
Moreover, in arid and semi-arid countries, the water
resources are known for their scarcity and pronounced
irregularity. Consequently, the treatment technology is
chosen according to the environmental preservation and
potential recycling possibilities of treated wastewater.
In this context, electrochemical technologies have
attracted great interest as an eco-friendly and efficient
method for the removal of various pollutants.[9,10]
Besides, they offer effective means to solve environmen-
tal issues related to the industrial processes.[11,12] A wide
variety of electrode materials have been suggested, such as
graphite, platinum, IrO2 , RuO2 , SnO2 , PbO2 , Ti/Pt, Ti/Pt–
Ir, Ti/PbO2 , Ti/PdO–Co3 O4 , Ti/RhOx –TiO2 and Ti coated
with Ru/Ir/Ta oxides.[13] However, the electrochemical
oxidation of organics to CO2 is related to a significant rate
and efficiency by using only high oxygen evolution over
potential anodes such as boron-doped diamond (BDD)
electrode .[14,15] Using these anodes, at a high potential,
highly reactive · OH are generated on the surface by water
discharge, which leads to an overall combustion of organic
compounds. These contaminants might also be oxidized
by other oxidants, such as peroxosulphate S2 O2− 8 , active
chlorine (Cl2 , HClO and ClO− ), which depends on the pH

*Corresponding author. Emails: latifa.bousselmi@certe.rnrt.tn; bousselmim@yahoo.fr

© 2015 Taylor & Francis

3202 N. Abdessamad et al.

Figure 1. The textile industry process.

medium, and peroxophosphate P2 O4− 8 .[16] The addition of

salts during the textile processes favours the action of such
oxidants during the electrochemical oxidation.[11,14,16]
· Textile effluents are collected from a textile dyeing unit
However, other salts such as CO2− 3 could inhibit the HO
reaction.[16]
Thanks to their properties, BDD has been largely used
for the electrochemical degradation of organic pollutants
such as phenol,[17,18] carboxylic acid, 2-naphtol,[14]
bisphenol,[19] benzoic acid [20] and many other varieties
of dyes (orange II,[21,22] Erichrome Black T [23] and
Alizarin S [24,25]). Also, BDD electrodes are investigated
as cathodes for the elimination of nitrates, nitrites and
ammonia.[26] However, few reports have focused on the
treatment of real effluents containing complex matrixes of
organic and inorganic pollutants.[3,4,27]
Panizza and Cerisola [27] have demonstrated the per-
formance of the BDD anodes against PbO2 on the treat-
ment of a real effluent collected from a washing station.
The processing time to achieve total mineralization was 3
h on BDD which is shorter than the 6 h treatment achieved
on PbO2 with a remarkable efficiency and an energy con-
sumption (EC) saving (375 kWh m3 on BDD and 770 kWh
m3 on PbO2 ). Other studies [3] have evaluated the influ-
ence of various process parameters such as the applied
current density, the electrolyte concentration, the temper-
ature and pH levels during the treatment of synthetic and
real textile effluents using BDD anodes. The results show a
complete discolouration and a mineralization efficiency of
85%, which have been achieved after a treatment for 180
min.
In the present study, the anodic oxidation (AO) of
real textile effluent is investigated, for recycling purposes,
before and after the coagulation–flocculation pretreatment
process using monopolar (BDD anodes) and bipolar (BDD
anodes and cathodes) electrodes for comparison and to
reach the purpose of reuse.
A number of important factors such as the treatment
cost and the effluent quality play an important role in the
selection of a wastewater treatment technology. Hence,
electrical and energetic cost determinations become an
important step in the studied processes, especially that the
AO is an electric-energy-intensive process.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Effluents characterization
located in the west of Tunis (Tunisia) (Figure 1). The
raw dyeing effluent is pretreated by the coagulation–
flocculation process before being discharged in the sewage
system. The effluent is first collected in the homogenization
basin (BH) in order to have an average wastewater qual-
ity in the pretreatment plant inlet. After the pretreatment,
the wastewater is also stored in a basin (BS) to allow any
corrective action, such as pH correction before their dis-
charge. The two wastewater qualities are targeted in this
paper in order to study the additional input of an oxidation
process to the upstream or downstream of the coagulation–
flocculation pretreatment process in order to recycle the
treated wastewater. The factory team carried out the pre-
treatment optimization and the process was running at its
highest efficiency.
The physico-chemical characteristics of the two real
wastewaters sampled from the BH and the storage basin
(BS) as well as the limit discharging values in the sewage
system (Tunisian standards) are given in Table 1.
The pollutant parameters analysed for the treatment
evaluation are colour, chemical oxygen demand (COD)
−
and anions concentrations (Cl− , SO2− 4 and NO3 ), which
can have an effect on the AO.
The colour is assayed using a UV–visible spec-
trophotometer (Thermospectronic UV1). COD is measured
according to the closed reflux colorimetric method, as
described in the Standard Methods [28] and ion concen-
trations are determined by the ion chromatography using a
Metrohm ion chromatography system fitted with an anion-
exchange column (AS4A-SC, 150 mm × 4 mm) and cou-
pled with a conductivity detector under the control of an IC
NET software.
2.2. Electrolysis cell
All electrolyses are conducted in two types of DiaCell sup-
plied by Adamant Technologies in order to optimize their
performances and costs (Figure 2).
 Environmental Technology 3203

Table 1. Physico-chemical characteristics of the BH and BS effluents, average and standards values.

Homogenization Storage Efficiency NT standards –

basin (BH) basin (BS) (%) sewer system

pH 7.43 7.69 – 6.5–9.0

Conductivity (mS cm−1 ) 7.64 2.84 63 –
COD (mg L−1 ) 1538 479 69 1000
SS (mg L−1 ) 32 18.8 41 400
Cl− (mg L−1 ) 170 42 75 700
SO2− −1
4 (mg L ) 19 11 42 400
NO3− (mg L−1 ) ND NDa NDa 90

ND, not detected.

(a)

(b) (c)

Figure 2. (a) Experimental setup: (1) reservoir, (2) electrochemical cell, (3) power supply and (4) peristaltic pump, (b) Cell 1 and (c)
Cell 2.

Cell 1 (mini diacell PS 500): It is a single compartment
with parallel plate electrodes. The anode is a monopolar-p-
silicon covered by a BDD thin film (2–3 μm thick) with a
12.5 cm2 rectangular surface and the cathode is a stainless
steel. The inter-electrode gap is about 3 mm.
Cell 2: It contains three compartments and four elec-
trodes: two bipolar electrodes are coated with Si/BDD on
both sides and placed between two monopolar electrodes.
The active surface is 70 cm2 per compartment and the
inter-electrode gap is 1 mm.
the wastewaters (Table 1) and under a current density of
40 mA cm−2 .
2.4. Analytic procedure
2.4.1. Average current efficiency, energy consumption
and electrical energy per order
The average current efficiency (ACE) of the effluent oxi-
dation is calculated using the COD values (in g L−1 ), by
applying the following relationship [29]:

((COD)0 − (COD)t )FVs

2.3. Experimental procedure ACE (%) = × 100, (R1)
8It
Experiments are carried out under the galvanostatic mode.
During each trial, the effluent is stored in a glass tank where t is the electrolysis time (s), and COD0 and CODt
(1 L) and continuously recirculated through the elec- are the initial COD and the obtained COD after a certain
trolytic cell by a peristaltic pump at the natural pH of time t, respectively. I is the applied current (A), F is the
3204 N. Abdessamad et al.

Figure 3. UV–visible absorption spectra of BH and BS effluents during AO on Cell 1 and Cell 2, pH natural, j = 40 mA cm−2 .

Faraday constant, 8 is the oxygen equivalent mass (g eq−1 ) of C, respectively, and Q is the water volume flow rate
and Vs is the solution volume (L). (m3 h−1 ).[31]
The EC per unit COD mass (kWh g−1 COD) at a time
t is determined as follows [30]:
IVt 3. Results and discussion
EC = , (R2)
((COD)0 − (COD)t )Vs 3.1. Decolourization of the textile effluent (BH and BS)
The dyeing wastewater is characterized by a high col-
where V is the average cell voltage (V).
oration level which is considered as the main limitation
The electrical energy per order (EE/O) is the elec-
for recycling the treated wastewater and its reuse in the
tric energy in kilowatt hours (kWh) required to degrade
process. The UV–visible spectra of the treated BH and
a contaminant (C) by one order of magnitude in 1 m3 of
BS effluents by AO on Cell 1 and Cell 2 during 6 and 5
contaminated water. The EE/O (kWh m−3 order−1 ) can be
h, respectively, are shown in Figure 3. The inset figures
calculated from the following equation of the recycling
represent only the visible area.
system [31]:
BH effluent presents two main absorption bands in the
EE P visible region at 430 and 602 nm. The absorption inten-
= , (R3) sity is not high due to the mixture of the dyeing effluents
O Q × log(c0 /cf )
with different rinsing wastewaters in the BH. Both adsorp-
where P is the rated power (kW) of the AO system, C0 tion bands are strongly decreased after the coagulation–
and Cf are the initial and final concentrations (mol L−1 ) flocculation pretreatment (BS effluent). The discoloration
 Environmental Technology 3205

rates are about 74% and 65%, respectively, for 430 and
602 nm. This ratio is in agreement with the COD elimina-
tion by the flocculation coagulation process. The obtained
low absorption of BS can be linked to the low intensity of
the BH absorption bands in the visible region.
Similar results are obtained when the BH effluent is
treated by AO, after 5 and 6 h on Cell 1 and Cell 2, respec-
tively (Figure 3). A total discolouration is achieved only
after 60 min on Cell 1 and 20 min on Cell 2.
The BH effluent also presents a high absorption in
the UV region at 230 nm which is often linked to some
aromatic compounds such as dyes and detergents.
After the pretreatment, the BS effluent spectrum is still Figure 4. Absorbance at 290 nm during AO on Cell 1 and Cell
characterized by a high absorbance at the same absorbance 2 of BH effluent, pH natural, j = 40 mA cm−2 .
UV band (230 nm). The coagulation–flocculation process
appears to be inefficient in the elimination of the main aro-
Concerning the BS effluent, the behaviour of the
matic compounds despite the important COD degradation
hypochlorite ion absorption band is different from that
ratio calculated in Table 1 and equal to 69%.
observed in the case of the BH effluent. The absorp-
Nevertheless, the BH effluent AO had led to a high
tion at 290 nm decreases progressively until a rate of
decrease in the UV absorbance bands, especially at 230
86% by Cell 1 but it disappears totally by Cell 2. This
nm. However, only 25% of the absorbance removal is
could be explained by the low concentration of Cl− in
obtained by Cell 1 compared to 52% when using Cell 2
the BS effluent (Table 1), thus the formation of hypochlo-
after a treatment for 5 h. The obtained results with the BS
rite is lower. The presence and generation of OCl− dur-
effluent showed that the treatment achieved 92% of the
ing the electrolysis can have an impact on the pollution
absorbance removal by Cell 1 and a total removal by Cell 2.
oxidation.
Based on these results, Cell 2 appears to be more
efficient but further insights will be introduced in the
following part of this paper.
3.2. Removal of the COD
A particular behaviour is observed at 290 nm. This
band is attributed to the hypochlorite ions produced by the According to Table 1, the coagulation–flocculation pre-
chloride oxidation at the surface of BDD anodes according treatment allows a decrease of 69% of COD. The obtained
to the following equations [32]: concentration is higher than the sewage system discharge
standards values but it does not allow the recycling of the
2Cl− → Cl2 + 2e− , (1) pretreated wastewater.
Cl2 + H2 O → HOCl+H + Cl ,+ −
(2) Figure 5(a) depicts the evolution of the BH effluent
COD removal during the electrolysis time by the two cells.
HOCl → H+ + OCl− . (3) The AO of the BH effluent decreased the COD value
The absorption band intensity at 290 nm is higher for to 800 mg O2 L−1 which is equivalent to a 48% of COD
the BH effluent when compared to the BS effluent, which removal, after 6 h of electrolysis by Cell 1, such a reduction
is in agreement with the Cl− concentrations presented in is much lower than the one obtained by the pretreat-
Table 1. ment process adopted in the factory. The obtained value
In the case of BH effluent and during the AO by Cell also allows discharging the treated effluent in the sewage
1, the intensity band at 290 nm decreases progressively system but not yet its recycling. In Cell 2, 150 mg O2
during the first 60 min and then increases during the elec- L−1 of the COD is reached, this value corresponds to a
trolysis due to the production of OCl− on the BDD anode 90% removal after 5 h of treatment. The final concentra-
(Figure 4). tion obtained is higher than the discharge limit into the
By using Cell 2, the intensity band increases after 10 natural environment according to the Tunisian Legisla-
min and then decreases after 30 min to completely dis- tion standards (90 mg O2 L−1 ),[34] such a COD value can
appear at the end of the electrolysis step. This decrease be obtained by increasing the electrolysis time which is
in the band intensity corresponds to the degradation of related to the COD degradation kinetic.
the hypochlorite ions until its disappearance which is According to Figure 5(b), the COD degradation kinetic
explained by its reduction to Cl2 on the BDD cathode is fitting a pseudo-first order. This mineralization kinetic by
according to Equation (4).[13,32,33] This reaction is not Cell 2 (K BH,Cell2 = 8 × 10−3 min−1 ) is more rapid than the
possible on Cell 1 as the cathode is made of stainless steel one obtained by Cell 1 (K BH,Cell1 = 1.7 × 10−3 min−1 ).
The Cell 2 efficiency can be attributed to its active surface
2OCl− + 4H+ + 2e− → Cl2 + 2·H2 O. (4) which is 16.8 times larger than Cell 1’s. Besides, the BDD
3206 N. Abdessamad et al.

(a) (b)

Figure 5. Evolution of (a) COD removal and (b) ln(COD0 /COD) of BH effluent during AO on Cell 1 (♦) and Cell 2 (), pH natural,
j = 40 mA cm−2 , COD0 = 1538 mg O2 L−1 .

Table 2. Apparent pseudo-first-order

kinetic mineralization of the BH effluent.

K app Cell 1 (10−3 ) min−1 1.7

K app Cell 2 (10−3 ) min−1 8
Ratio 4.7

cathode can contribute in the electrolysis process in Cell

2 and reduces some compounds present or formed during
the electrolysis given the complexity of the textile effluent.
However, the ratio between the apparent constants which is
equal to 4.7 is much lower when compared to the surfaces
ratio (Table 2). This result is presumably due to the larger
production and accumulation of ClO− by Cell 1 which
is known as an efficient oxidizing agent.[32] The forma-
tion of per sulphate ion (S2 O28 ) during electrolysis can also
contribute to COD degradation.
In the case of the BS effluent, Figure 6(a) highlights
the efficiency of the AO using BDD electrodes as the COD
total reduction is obtained by Cell 2 against 68% for Cell
1. The BS effluent treatment results in a final COD value of
76 mg L−1 by Cell 1 after 6 h which is in agreement with
the Tunisian discharge standard in the natural environment
(COD = 90 mg L−1 .[1] By using Cell 2, the total pollution
reduction can easily enable the treated water recycling at
different stages of the process.
The obtained results are compared with the previous
works undertaken under the same experimental condi-
tions using synthetics dyes, separately,[35,36] and in a
mixture.[37] The objective is to identify any strong inhi-
bition linked to the real effluent complex matrix. The
obtained mineralization kinetic rates are 4.1 and 3.6 min−1 ,
respectively for AO8 and ABB at pH 8 and they are com-
parable when the treatment is carried out by Cell 1 despite
the fact that the initial synthetic dyes COD (35 mg L−1 ) is
lower than both the studied real effluents. This confirms the
role of promoting oxidized agents such as chloride ions in
real wastewater.
Figure 6. Evolution of COD removal of BS effluent during AO
on Cell 1 (♦) and Cell 2 (), pH natural, j = 40 mA cm−2 ,
COD0 = 479 mg O2 L−1 .
3.3. Energy assessment: evaluation of current
efficiency, energy consumption per amount of
COD oxidized and energy per order
Taking into consideration that the AO as an electrochem-
ical treatment is an energy-consuming process, linked to
potentially high operating costs, its efficiency is also eval-
uated in terms of current efficiency, EC per amount of COD
oxidized (EC) and energy per order (EE/O).[38]
Therefore, in this part, the estimation of the energy
parameters is calculated in Table 3 according to the
required time to achieve a COD value of 90 mg O2 L−1 .
This value might allow the effluent’s discharge into the
natural environment and also the potential recycling in the
process; especially for rinsing steps which represents about
66% of the water consumption in the dying process.[1]
In the case of the BH effluent, the final COD concen-
tration obtained by Cell 1 and Cell 2 is 800 and 150 mg
O2 L−1 after 5 and 6 h of electrolysis, respectively. The
 Environmental Technology
Table 3. Current efficiency, energy consumption per amount of
COD oxidized (EC) and energy per order (EE/O).
ta ACEb ECc EE/O
(h) (%) (kWh kg COD−1 ) (kWh m−3 order−1 )
BH Cell 1 28 10 865 1.07
BH Cell 2 6 29 411 0.87
BS Cell 1 5 7 2860 0.77
BS Cell 2 2.33 20 430 0.35
a Necessary time to oxide COD to 90 mg L−1 .
b Current efficiency at t.
c Energy consumption per amount of oxidized COD
at t.
necessary durations to achieve 90 mg O2 L−1 of COD are
determined by applying the apparent first-order kinetic law
which are corresponding to 28 h by using Cell 1 and 6 h by
using Cell 2.
In the case of the BS effluent, the final COD concen-
tration obtained is 76 mg O2 L−1 by Cell 1 while the treat-
ment by Cell 2 leads to a total mineralization. Therefore,
an energy estimation is also evaluated by considering the
required time for the mineralization of the initial amount
of COD to reach 90 mg L−1 (5 h by using Cell 1 and 2.33
h by using Cell 2).
Table 3 highlights the contribution of bipolar cells
towards the current efficiency and the EC reduction. For
instance, the EC values show that the treatment of the BH
effluent by Cell 1 consumes 865 kWh kg COD−1 against
41 kWh kg COD−1 required for treatment of the same
effluent by Cell 2.
The better efficiency of Cell 2 can also be attributed to
its much higher electrode area (70 vs. 12.5 cm2 on Cell 1)
as the operating current density is the same. Also, the sepa-
ration between electrodes is different and this presupposes
lesser ohmic drop in Cell 2 than in Cell 1, indicating lower
EC.
Besides, the electric energy required for the mineral-
ization of both effluents by Cell 1 and Cell 2 for their
reuse is given in Table 3. The EE/O values indicate that
the required electrical energy for the treatment of these
effluents is in the following order: BH, Cell 1 > BH, Cell
2 > BS, Cell 1 > BS and Cell 2.
The energy per order also allows a comparison between
the different process or reactors and at variable conditions.
In fact, some studies [39,40] have shown that the treatment
of charged dyes by the UV/H2 O2 process is efficient for
synthetic solutions treatments with electrical energy EE/O
between 0.4 and 5 kWh m−3 order−1 . In the studied case,
EE/O of the high polluted actual effluent is between 0.3 and
1 kWh−1 m−3 order−1 .
Finally, it is useful to relate the EC values found in
this study to the treatment costs. The cost of the electric-
ity, in Tunisia, is 0.148 DT (taxes included, 1 DT equal to
US$0.61587) per kWh, the contribution to the treatment
cost obtained from the electrical energy and energy per
3207
amount of oxidized COD will be 0.158, 0.129, 0.114 and
0.052 DT m−3 order−1 , for the treatments of BH, Cell 1,
BH, Cell 2, BS, Cell 1 and BS, Cell 2, respectively.
Therefore, it can be observed that in addition to the high
efficiency of the cell with bipolar BDD electrodes, the use
of Cell 2 decreases the energy cost per amount of oxidized
COD to 2.1 and 6.65 times when compared to Cell 1 in the
case of the BH effluent treatment.
In conclusion, the obtained results show that the AO
has significant advantages for use as an effective method
for dye removal. There is no consumption of chemicals
and no sludge build up. It shows efficient and economical
removal of dyes and a high efficiency for degradation of
recalcitrant pollutants. Currently, the textile dye treatment
is by physical and chemical means. Although the dyes are
removed, accumulation of concentrated sludge creates a
disposal problem [41] and the quality of treated water is
not adapted to recycling (Table 1).
3.4. Evolution of inorganic ions
The two treated effluents contain, in addition to the dyes
and various other organic compounds, various inorganic
ions such as nitrates, chlorides and sulphates.
The results given in Table 4 show the increase in the
sulphate concentration after treatment, particularly when
using Cell 2. This result is expected due to the mineraliza-
tion of sulphonated dyes and the release of sulphate ions.
However, the final concentration is not high (30 mg/L) and
recycling options can be considered (e.g. rinsing water).
In fact, the textile process and, particularly, dyeing step,
needs a large quantity of salts as sulphate and nitrate which
can exceed 0.6 kg L−1 . These salts allow and facilitate the
penetration of dyes in fibre.[1,42]
The treatment of the BH and BS effluents by Cell 1
also leads to an increase in the nitrate concentration result-
ing from the oxidation of nitrogenous contaminants in the
effluent. However, this increase is limited and lower for
Cell 2, which confirms the succession of a redox mecha-
nism on the BDD anode/cathode and thus reducing nitrate
on NH+ −
4 , NO2 /N2 (g), NH3 (g) or N2 O(g), according to the
major electrochemical reactions involved in the electro-
chemical nitrate reduction using BDD as a cathode and an
Table 4. Inorganic ion concentration of the BS and BH
effluents before and after the AO by Cell 1 and Cell 2, pH
natural, j = 40 mA cm−2 .
−1 − −1 − −1
SO2−
4 smg L ) Cl (mg L ) NO3 (mg L )
BH 19.1 170.4 0
BH Cell 1 17.4 67.8 6.4
BH Cell 2 28.7 6.6 4.4
BS 11.3 41.9 0
BS Cell 1 12.1 4.2 2.3
BS Cell 2 28.9 1.9 0
3208 N. Abdessamad et al.
anode material [43,44]:
NO− + − + −
3 + H2 O+6H + 8e → NH4 + 4OH , (5)
NO−
3 + H2 O+2e  −
NO−
2
−
+ 2OH , (6)
1
NO− −
3 + 3H2 O+5e → N2 + 6OH− , (7)
2
NO− − −
3 + ·6H2 O+8e → NH3 + 9OH . (8)
Concerning chlorides ions, their concentration decrease
is related to their oxidation and then the formation of
hypochlorite and/or Cl2 by both cells. For Cell 2, the
reduction reactions on the BDD cathode reduce greatly the
chloride and nitrate concentrations.
4. Conclusion
The AO of real textile effluents for recycling purposes is
investigated before (BH) and after (BS) the coagulation–
flocculation pretreatment process using monopolar (BDD
anodes) and bipolar (BDD anodes and cathodes) electrodes
which is conducted to compare their performances and to
reach the reuse purpose.
The obtained results show that the coagulation–
flocculation pretreatment allows the discolouration of the
BH effluent but it appears as inefficient to reach a high pol-
lution removal (only 69% of the COD removal is reached).
The obtained concentration is higher than the sewage sys-
tem discharge standard values but it does not allow the
recycling of the pretreated wastewater. However, the AO
is successfully used to decolourize the BH effluent after 60
min, by Cell 1, and 20 min, by Cell 2. The BH and BS
effluent treatments by Cell 1 lead to a COD removal of
48% and 68% after 6 and 5 h, respectively. Moreover, the
same effluents’ treatments by Cell 2 lead to 90% and 100%
COD removal after 6 and 5 h, respectively. The sulphate
and nitrate concentrations increase after treatment due to
the mineralization of the organic compounds present in the
effluent. The reduction process on the BDD cathode of Cell
2 enhances this mineralization. Besides, the hypochlorite,
formed by the oxidation of chlorate ions present in real
textile effluent, has a synergic oxidation effect function on
its initial concentrations. The accumulation of hypochlo-
rite is observed when using Cell 1 which leads to a high
improvement of the final pollution removal per electrode
area.
The total pollution reduction of the BS effluent
achieved by Cell 2 can easily enable the recycling of the
obtained treated water at different stages of the industrial
process thus AO appears as an efficient process which can
be implemented after coagulation–flocculation to achieve
the effluent recycling aim.
The EC values show that the BH effluent treatment by
Cell 1 consumes 865 kWh kg COD−1 against 411 kWh kg
COD−1 for the same effluent treatment by Cell 2. There-
fore, the use of Cell 2 decreases the consumed energy
per amount of oxidized COD cost to 2.1 and 6.65 times
when compared to Cell 1 for the treatment of the BH and
BS effluents, respectively. The obtained results highlight
the interest and importance of the bipolar BDD electrodes
application for recycling the treated textile wastewater.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This research was undertaken with the support of International
Foundation for Science (IFS), Sweden, by a research fellowship
to CP: HaneneAkrout – Baccour and in the frame of contract
objective with the Tunisian ministry in charge of Research.
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