Coupling cathodic electro-fenton with anodic photo-electrochemical oxidation: A feasibility study on the mineralization of paracetamol

A cathodic electro-Fenton (EF) process consisting of thermally treated carbon felt and anodic photoelectrochemical (PEC) oxidation process consisting of bismuth vanadate-bismuth oxyiodide electrodeposited on fluorine doped tin oxide glass (FTO-BiVO4/BiOI) were coupled into a single electrochemical advanced oxidation system for the mineralisation of paracetamol. EF degradation of paracetamol yielded 71 % total organic carbon (TOC) removal after 4 h with a current density of 20 mA cm-2. With the coupled EF/PEC system, the complete removal of paracetamol was achieved within 2 h and a higher mineralisation of 92 % TOC removal after 4 h was recorded with a 10 mA cm-2 current density. The specific energy consumption of the EF/PEC process was about 64 % lower than the energy consumption of EF process alone. The treated aqueous solution exhibited reduced toxicity in comparison with the untreated solution with about 1% inhibition of Vibrio fisheri. This EF/PEC system showed a synergic improvement in performance over EF and PEC.