Anodic Oxidation as Green Alternative for Removing Diethyl Phthalate from Wastewater Using Pb/PbO₂and Ti/SnO₂Anodes

Abstract

Abstract The electrochemical oxidation (EO) of diethyl phthalate (DEP) in aqueous solution was studied at Pb/PbO 2 and Ti/SnO 2 anode materials under galvanostatic‐experimental conditions. Results obtained clearly demonstrated that the anode plays a significant role for the optimization of the oxidation process, deciding the mechanisms and by‐products formed. DEP and by‐products of oxidation were also analyzed during various stages of the electrolysis reaction by HPLC and GC/MS techniques. Before the analysis by GC/MS technique, the samples were treated by solid phase microextraction (SPME) in order to concentrate the compounds from the reaction solution and identify all electrolysis intermediates. Current efficiencies (instantaneous current efficiency; ICE and total current efficiency; TCE) achieved during EO experiments were dependent on anode used and current density (20–40 mA cm −2 ) at 40°C. The results obtained demonstrated that the environmental electrochemical methods can be a feasible alternative for the wastewater treatment containing hazardous phthalates.