Development of a biphasic electroreactor with a wet scrubbing system for the removal of gaseous benzene.

An efficient, continuous flow electroreactor system comprising a scrubbing column (for absorption) and a biphasic electroreactor (for degradation) was developed to treat gas streams containing benzene. Initial benzene absorption studies using a continuous flow bubble column containing absorbents like 40% sulfuric acid, 10% silicone oil (3, 5, 10 cSt), or 100% silicone oil showed that 100% silicone oil is the most suitable. A biphasic batch electroreactor based on 50 mL of silicone oil and 100 mL of activated Co(III) (activated electrochemically) in 40% sulfuric acid demonstrated that indirect oxidation of benzene is possible by Co(III). Combined experiments on the wet scrubbing column and biphasic electroreactor (BP-ER) were performed to determine the feasibility of benzene removal, which is reside in the silicone oil medium. In semidynamic scrubbing with BP-ER experiments using an aqueous electroreactor volume of 2 L, and an inlet gas flow and a gaseous benzene concentration were 10 Lmin(-1) and 100 ppm, respectively, benzene removal efficiency is 75% in sustainable way. The trend of CO2 evolution is well correlated with benzene recovery in the BP-ER. The addition of sodiumdodecyl sulfate (SDS) enhanced the recovery of silicone oil without affecting benzene removal. This process is promising for the treatment of high concentrations of gaseous benzene.

Destruction of commercial pesticides by cerium redox couple mediated electrochemical oxidation process in continuous feed mode.

Mediated electrochemical oxidation was carried out for the destruction of commercial pesticide formulations using cerium(IV) in nitric acid as the mediator electrolyte solution in a bench scale set up. The mediator oxidant was regenerated in situ using an electrochemical cell. The real application of this sustainable process for toxic organic pollutant destruction lies in its ability for long term continuous operation with continuous organic feeding and oxidant regeneration with feed water removal. In this report we present the results of fully integrated MEO system. The task of operating the continuous feed MEO system for a long time was made possible by continuously removing the feed water using an evaporator set up. The rate of Ce(IV) regeneration in the electrochemical cell and the consumption for the pesticide destruction was matched based on carbon content of the pesticides. It was found that under the optimized experimental conditions for Ce(III) oxidation, organic addition and water removal destruction efficiency of ca. 99% was obtained for all pesticides studied. It was observed that the Ce(IV) concentration was maintained nearly the same throughout the experiment. The stable operation for 6h proved that the process can be used for real applications and for possible scale up for the destruction of larger volumes of toxic organic wastes.

Experimental aspects of combined NOx and SO2 removal from flue-gas mixture in an integrated wet scrubber-electrochemical cell system.

The objective of this work was to study the effect of some operating conditions on the simultaneous removal of NO(x) and SO2 from simulated NO-SO2-air flue-gas mixtures in a scrubber column. The gaseous components were absorbed into 6M HNO3 electrolyte in the scrubber in a counter-current mode, and were oxidatively removed by the Ag(II) mediator oxidant electrochemically generated in an electrochemical cell set-up. The integration of the electrochemical cell with the scrubber set-up ensured continuous regeneration of the Ag(II) mediator and its repeated reuse for NO(x) and SO2 removal purpose, thereby avoiding: (1) the usage of chemicals continuously for oxidation and (2) the production of secondary waste. The influences of packing material (raschig glass rings, raschig poly(vinylidene) fluoride rings, Jaeger tri-pack perfluoroalkoxy spheres), feed concentrations of NO and SO2 (100-400 ppm NO and 100-400 ppm SO2), superficial gas velocity (0.061-0.61ms(-1)) and liquid velocity (0.012-0.048 ms(-1)) were investigated. The raschig glass rings with high surface area provided highest NO removal efficiency. NO and NO(x) showed decreasing abatement at higher feed concentrations. The removal of nitrogen components was faster and also greater, when SO2 co-existed in the feed. Whereas the gas flow rate decreased the removal efficiency, the liquid flow rate increased it for NO and NOx. The flow rate effects were analyzed in terms of gas/liquid residence time and superficial liquid velocity/superficial gas velocity ratio. SO2 removal was total under all conditions.

Novel process for simultaneous removal of NO(x) and SO2 from simulated flue gas by using a sustainable Ag(I)/Ag(II) redox mediator.

The objective of this work is to develop a sustainable process for simultaneous removal of waste gases such as NO, NO2, and SO2 by an electrochemically generated Ag(I)/Ag(II) redox mediator system. High removal efficiency was achieved for NO and SO2 by the wet scrubbing method at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. This removal is achieved through oxidation and absorption by contacting the gaseous stream with redox mediator ions that offer specific or selective solubility for the solute gases to be recovered in a wet scrubber. The process parameters such as gas velocity, liquid velocity, Ag(I) concentration, and HNO3 concentration were investigated to explore the possibility of complete removal of waste gases. The Ag(I)/Ag(II)-based mediated electrochemical oxidation process proved to be quite effective for simultaneous removal of NO, NO(x), and SO2 from the simulated flue gas mixtures containing NO and SO2 over a wide concentration range of 100-400 ppm. Studies were carried out with individual gas components for the mixture, and the effect of input NO and input SO2 concentrations on the NO(x) and SO2 removal efficiencies at 20 degrees C was examined. Complete oxidation of NO to NO2 with 100% NO removal efficiency and 92% NO(x) removal efficiency was achieved along with 100% SO2 removal efficiency, highlighting a potentially far greater efficiency of the Ag(I)/Ag(II)-based system in functionality and selectivity. Active research work in this direction is anticipated in the near future.