Membrane fouling analysis of air-gap membrane distillation (AGMD) for recovery of water and removal of antibiotics from a model wastewater containing antibiotics and humic acid.

The study investigates the efficiency of air-gap membrane distillation (AGMD) in water recovery and antibiotics removal from wastewater, focusing on high-concentration scenarios. Experimental findings reveal enhanced membrane performance with increasing the feed temperature, resulting in vapor permeate fluxes of up to 5 kg/m2.h at higher temperatures. Despite experiencing flux reduction caused by fouling from humic acid (HA) in the feed antibiotics solution, the antibiotics consistently maintain near-complete rejection rates (>99%) over 48 h. The foulant on the membrane surface was illustrated by SEM imaging. To know the temperature polarization and the fouling resistance, mathematical modeling was used, and it validates experimental results, elucidating temperature polarization effects and mass transfer coefficients. An increase in feed flow rates reduced thermal boundary layers, enhancing heat flux. Higher temperatures reduced HA fouling resistance. Therefore, AGMD proves effective in water recovery and antibiotics removal, with mathematical models aiding fouling understanding for future research and detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models.

Recycling of waste coffee grounds as a photothermal material modified with ZnCl2 for water purification.

The aim of this study was to develop a photothermal material modified with carbonization and ZnCl2 impregnation and supported by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for water purification using the waste coffee grounds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization of the prepared material revealed that a significant surface modification was achieved due to the carbonization and ZnCl2 impregnation. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) pattern of the samples showed two broad peaks at 18.4° and 22.2°, this is due to the crystal planes of ß-crystal phase structure, which indicates the existence of strong hydrogen bonds between the micro-structures and therefore less suspectable to chemical attack. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) result suggests a slight mass reduction between the temperature range of 65-75 °C implying the thermal stability of the prepared material. The produced modified material had a photothermal conversion efficiency of 74% and could produce vapor at a rate of 1.12 kg/m2h under 980 W/m2 irradiation at 1 sun. A significant reduction in Cu2+ ion concentration (83%), turbidity (91%), total dissolved solids (TDS) (61%), microbial load (95.6%), and total hardness (41.2%) were achieved. Therefore, waste coffee grounds can be considered as a future eco-friendly and low-cost candidate for water purification.

Unveiling the influence of microaeration and sludge recirculation on enhancement of pharmaceutical removal and microbial community change of the novel anaerobic baffled biofilm - membrane bioreactor in treating building wastewater.

This research aims to conduct a comparative investigation of the role played by microaeration and sludge recirculation in the novel anaerobic baffled biofilm-membrane bioreactor (AnBB-MBR) for enhancing pharmaceutical removal from building wastewater. Three AnBB-MBRs - R1: AnBB-MBR, R2: AnBB-MBR with microaeration and R3: AnBB-MBR with microaeration and sludge recirculation - were operated simultaneously to remove Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Caffeine (CAF), Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and Diclofenac (DCF) from real building wastewater at the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 30 h for 115 days. From the removal profiles of the targeted pharmaceuticals in the AnBB-MBRs, it was found that the fixed-film compartment (C1) could significantly reduce the targeted pharmaceuticals. The remaining pharmaceuticals were further removed with the microaeration compartment. R2 exhibited the utmost removal efficiency for CIP (78.0 %) and DCF (40.8 %), while SMX was removed most successfully by R3 (microaeration with sludge recirculation) at 91.3 %, followed by microaeration in R2 (88.5 %). For CAF, it was easily removed by all AnBB-MBR systems (>90 %). The removal mechanisms indicate that the microaeration in R2 facilitated the adsorption of CIP onto microaerobic biomass, while the enhanced biodegradation of CAF, SMX and DCF was confirmed by batch biotransformation kinetics and the adsorption isotherms of the targeted pharmaceuticals. The microbial groups involved in biodegradation of the targeted compounds under microaeration were identified as nitrogen removal microbials (Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, Thiobacillus, and Denitratisoma) and methanotrophs (Methylosarcina, Methylocaldum, and Methylocystis). Overall, explication of the integration of AnBB-MBR with microaeration (R2) confirmed it as a prospective technology for pharmaceutical removal from building wastewater due to its energy-efficient approach characterized by minimal aeration supply.

Effect of antibiotics addition on nutrient removal stability and microbial community change of the solar-powered oxidation ditch-membrane bioreactor in treating building wastewater.

The solar-powered oxidation ditch-membrane bioreactors (SOD-MBR) system was developed and operated with long solid retention times (SRTs) of 80 and 160 days. The aim was to investigate the effects of using a long SRT and antibiotics in building wastewater on the stability of nutrient removal, as well as membrane fouling. An increase in the SRT from 80 days to 160 days did not significantly affect the performance of the SOD-MBR system. Ciprofloxacin and Sulfamethoxazole removal efficiencies were 94.47 ± 1.54% and 87.54 ± 24.7%. However, the presence of antibiotics resulted in lower removal efficiencies for NH4+-nitrogen and phosphorus and stimulated the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), particularly proteins in L-EPS and T-EPS of the foulant. FTIR and FEEM analysis revealed that the microbial sludge primarily consisted of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Furthermore, the relative abundance analysis of microbial communities identified bacteria associated with nitrogen removal in the SOD-MBR system, including Anammox, AOB (ammonia oxidizing bacteria), DNB (denitrifying bacteria), and NOB (nitrite oxidizing bacteria), with a total of 25 genera. The majority of these bacteria were stimulated by the presence of antibiotics, resulting in higher relative abundance. Finally, the SOD-MBR system achieved energy savings of 97.38% by utilizing photovoltaic (PV) technology.

A novel simplified method for extraction of microplastic particles from face scrub and laundry wastewater.

Microplastic pollution in different environmental matrices is a serious concern in the recent times. Personal care products and washing of synthetic fabrics are some of the main sources of microplastic pollution. In this work, a novel simplified, effective and sustainable method for extraction of microplastic particles from face scrub and laundry wastewater was developed. Different parameters affecting the extraction were analysed and the extraction process was optimised. The extraction efficiency of the proposed method was found to be ~ 94.1 ± 1.65%, which was slightly better than the previously available method with an advantage of ease in extraction and lesser time and resource consuming. The developed method was used to demonstrate the extraction of microplastic particles from 12 face scrub samples with different brands. It was found that the samples contained microplastic particles of varying size. The physical and chemical structure intactness of microplastic particles during the extraction was also analysed and found to be acceptable. The developed extraction method was also applied for the extraction of microfibers from the laundry wastewater. It was found that this proposed method is suitable to make the cleaner extracted samples for an easy and more effective qualitative and quantitative analysis of MPs.

Effects of microaeration and sludge recirculation on VFA and nitrogen removal, membrane fouling reduction and microbial community of the anaerobic baffled biofilm-membrane bioreactor in treating building wastewater.

A novel anaerobic baffled biofilm-membrane bioreactor (AnBB-MBR) with microaeration of 0.62 LO2/LFeed was developed to improve VFA and nitrogen removal from building wastewater. Three different membrane bioreactor systems - R1: AnBB-MBR (without microaeration); R2: AnBB-MBR with microaeration; and R3: AnBB-MBR with integrated microaeration and sludge recirculation - were operated in parallel at the same hydraulic retention time of 20 h and sludge retention time of 100 d. The microaeration promoted greater microbial richness and diversity, which could significantly enhance the removal of acetic acid and dissolved methane in the R2 and R3 systems. Moreover, the partial nitrification and the ability of anammox (Candidatus Brocadia) to thrive in R2 enabled NH4+-N removal to be enhanced by up to 57.8 %. The worst membrane fouling was found in R1 due to high amount of protein as well as fine particles (0.5-5.0 µm) acting as foulants that contributed to pore blocking. While the integration of sludge recirculation with microaeration in R3 was able to improve the membrane permeate flux slightly as compared to R2. Therefore, the AnBB-MBR integrated with a microaeration system (R2) can be considered as promising technology for building wastewater treatment when considering VFA and nutrient removal and an energy-saving approach with low aeration intensity.

Insight into pathway of monosaccharide production from integrated enzymatic hydrolysis of rice straw waste as feed stock for anaerobic digestion.

This research examined the possible pathway of monosaccharide production from the rice straw waste using three integrated enzymatic hydrolysis approaches: boiled hot water pre-treatment with enzyme, alkaline pre-treatment with enzyme, and acid pre-treatment with enzyme, that can be further used as the feedstock for anaerobic digestion. Two cellulase enzymes: SIGMA-ALDRICH laboratory grade cellulase from Aspergillus niger and atres Zymix plus as a commercial cellulase enzyme were applied. It was found that the boiled hot water pre-treatment with the commercial cellulase gave the highest total monosaccharides yields. Glucose was the most significant part (78-86%) of the monosaccharides. For the pre-treatment with dilute acid, glucose was also the main component of monosaccharides; however, for the alkali pre-treatment, xylose was the main monosaccharide. It made up 48-85% of the total monosaccharide compared to glucose that made up 5-49% of total monosaccharide. Boiled rice straw with commercial cellulase enzyme provided the highest glucose yield compared to other experiments. Moreover, the obtained results from GC-MS/MS analysis show that up to 62 species of phenolic compound could be found in enzymatic hydrolysis of the rice straw waste. Aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon substances were also detected in the FEEM analysis. From the overall results, the integrated enzymatic hydrolysis with boil hot water pre-treatment was the most efficient method for monosaccharide production from the rice straw waste.

Direct Contact Membrane Distillation for Treatment of Mixed Wastewater of Humic Acid and Reactive Dye: Membrane Flux Decline and Fouling Analysis.

The main waste stream from the textile industry is its wastewater with high color, organic matters, and other contaminants. This study aims to investigate the effect of humic acid in mixed wastewater of humic acid and reactive dye on the treatment performance and permeate flux of a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system. In this research, feed temperature and humic acid concentration were the main input parameters for the analysis of DCMD system operation. The fouling resistances significantly increased with higher humic acid concentrations in the mixed wastewater. As compared with the DI water test, 23% of flux decline occurred when the humic concentration in the wastewater was increased up to 20 mg/L. After the DCMD treatment, the 25 ADMI residual color was detected in the permeate when the mixed wastewater contained 20 mg/L humic acid. The mathematical model, based on the Antione equation, was proposed to predict the membrane flux decline of the DCMD system. The reduced pore size of the cake layer by a dimensionless constant ß from the Kelvin equation was also considered for the fouling calculation to describe the transport mechanism.

Influences of Permeate Solution and Feed pH on Enhancement of Ammonia Recovery from Wastewater by Negatively Charged PTFE Membranes in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Operation.

This research investigated the feasibility of enhancing ammonia recovery from wastewater using a negatively charged poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membrane in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system. The influences of phosphate solution types (as the permeate solutions) and feed pH on ammonia recovery were analyzed. Three types of permeate solutions-DI water and two types of phosphate solutions (H3PO4 and KH2PO4)-were investigated for recovery of ammonia gas on the permeate side. From the obtained results, the H3PO4 solution was found to be the most suitable permeate solution to recover ammonia gas in the DCMD operation with the highest overall ammonia mass transfer coefficient of 7.4 × 10-5 m/s, compared to values of 1.2 × 10-5 and 2.4 × 10-5 m/s for DI water and KH2PO4 solution, respectively. Moreover, an increase in the H3PO4 concentration from 0.3 to 0.5 M in the permeate solution also could significantly enhance ammonia recovery. With an increase in the feed pH from 10.0 to 11.8, the ammonia recovery could be enhanced to 92.98% at a pH of 11.8. Liquid ammonium phosphate fertilizer could be produced by the DCMD system with the use of 0.5 M H3PO4 solution. Therefore, the DCMD process using a negatively charged PTFE membrane with an appropriate permeate solution is one of the challenging processes for ammonia recovery from wastewater to promote the circular economy concept.

Effects of novel anaerobic baffled biofilm membrane bioreactor configurations on membrane fouling mitigation and microbial community in treating liquor condensate.

A novel anaerobic baffled biofilm-membrane bioreactor (AnBB-MBR) was developed to treat industrial liquor condensate. In order to minimize membrane fouling, three different reactor configurations of R1:No media (anaerobic baffled MBR), R2:FF (Fixed Film AnBB-MBR) and R3:FF + MVB (Fixed Film and Moving Bed AnBB-MBR) were evaluated at the same operating hydraulic retention time of 3 days. The specific fouling rates of the ceramic membranes were 0.98, 0.84 and 0.5 kPa/L/m2 for R1:No media, R2:FF and R3:FF + MVB, respectively. The R2:FF and R3:FF + MVB reactors could mitigate the membrane fouling rates by 14.1% and 48.9%, compared to R1:No media due to biomass retention in the fixed film and mechanical scouring of the MVB. From the microbial community analysis, higher relative abundances of Methanosaeta were found in the biofilm whereas more Methanobacterium was found in the suspended sludge. Moreover, higher accumulations of humic and fulvic substances in the system could inhibit the methanogenic activity.

A novel integrated single-stage anaerobic co-digestion and oxidation ditch-membrane bioreactor system for food waste management and building wastewater recycling.

This study is to develop a novel integrated single-stage anaerobic co-digestion and oxidation ditch membrane bioreactor (SAC/OD-MBR) for food waste and building wastewater recycling. The co-digestion of food waste (FW) from a canteen with waste sludge (WS) from OD-MBR was performed with the proportion of FW:WS at 10:1 by weight. The liquid digestate from the co-digestion process was further co-treated with building wastewater in the OD-MBR system for water reuse purpose. Maximum methane content of 65.2% in biogas as well as average specific methane yield of 0.24 gCH4/gVS could be obtained with anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and waste sludge from OD-MBR with HRT of 24 h and horizontal flow velocity of 0.3 m/s. The observed main methanogen species in this co-digestion process were Methanoculleus bourgensis and Methanoculleus palmolei. For co-treatment of liquid digestate and building wastewater with the OD-MBR, it was found that HRT of 24 h and horizontal flow velocity of 0.3 m/s could achieve highest COD and nitrogen removal efficiencies. HRT can be considered as a main key parameter to promote nitrification activity inside the OD-MBR system. Moreover, treated effluent from the SAC/OD-MBR could comply with the water reuse standard for garden and landscape application in the university campus. Furthermore, the techno-economic analysis indicates that this proposed system has a high potential of total cost savings and other indirect benefits. Therefore, the prototype SAC/OD-MBR can be an alternative system for food waste management and wastewater recycling for building application.

A novel prototype of integrated anaerobic filter-condenser (ANCO) system for application of waste heat from office building to improve performances of both air conditioner and wastewater treatment system.

The prototype system of integrated anaerobic filter with condenser of air conditioner (anaerobic filter-condenser; ANCO) was developed for sustainable water-energy management model in green office building. The ANCO consists of an insulated anaerobic filter (IAF) and condenser that are connected to an existing refrigerant of air conditioner. The system applied waste heat energy from an air conditioner to improve wastewater treatment efficiency. While the performance of air conditioner also could be enhanced by decreasing refrigerant temperature from transferring waste heat through the IAF system for increasing wastewater temperature. The waste heat from air conditioner could stimulate higher microbial activity in the IAF and at the same time, this could increase air conditioner performance. From the overall results, it was found that with wastewater flow rate 180 liter/day, the ANCO prototype could recycle waste heat approximately 2.82 kWh/day. The waste heat transferred into wastewater could increase water temperature up to averagely 35.4 °C. The system performance for removal of suspended solids (SS) and COD were averagely 49.9% and 49.3%, respectively. The coefficient of performance (COPOverall) of air conditioner was increased by 30.25% and electric consumption was decreased by 22.96%. The ANCO system could save electrical energy averagely 2.62 kWh/day. Then, the ANCO system can decrease heat into environment and decrease greenhouse gas emission 602 kgCO2eq/year. Therefore, the ANCO system was pronounced to be the prototype eco-friendly onsite-wastewater treatment system for green office building application.

Effects of temperature and HRT on performance of a novel insulated anaerobic filter (IAF) system incorporated with the waste heat input for building wastewater treatment.

Effects of temperature and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the performance of the novel insulated anaerobic filter system (IAF) incorporated with the waste heat input in treating building wastewater were investigated. In this study, an electric heater was used to simulate the waste heat input from air conditioner to the IAF system. The wastewater was collected from an office building in Phitsanulok province, Thailand. The HRTs of IAF system were varied to 9, 18 and 27 h, whereas the water temperatures were raised from 30 °C to 35 °C, 40 °C and 45 °C by electric heating to the IAF tank with the covered insulator. From the results, it was found that the IAF system with HRT 27 h and water temperature 35 °C had the highest removal efficiencies for SS, COD, TKN and TP at 67.71, 61.35, 51.20 and 20.08%, respectively per applied heat energy of 4.70 Wh. The predominant bacteria and Archaea species in the system were Uncultured Flavobacterium sp. and Uncultured Methanosaeta sp. The performance index of the IAF system was developed in this study as the highest treatment performance per lowest energy consumption. Therefore, the IAF system incorporated with waste heat input can be a challenging on-site wastewater treatment system for further usage of renewable energy from waste heat as well as environmental conservation.

Binding TiO2 nanoparticles to forward osmosis membranes via MEMO-PMMA-Br monomer chains for enhanced filtration and antifouling performance.

Forward osmosis (FO) has attracted increasing interest in various applications for water and wastewater treatment and reuse. However, drawbacks caused by its lower-than-expected flux performance and fouling issues remain bottlenecks that limit the wider applications of FO technology. In this research, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were grafted onto two commercially available FO membranes, a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane and an aquaporin (AqP) membrane, through a specially designed 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate-polymethyl methacrylate-bromide (MEMO-PMMA-Br) monomer chain, to improve the filtration performance with regard to pure water flux and organic fouling resistance. The success of the surface coating method was verified using FT-IR, SEM-EDX, and AFM. Approximately 30% titanium coverage was obtained for both FO membranes. A reduction of the contact angle on the modified CTA membrane surface indicated enhanced water permeability and antifouling performance. An adverse effect on the surface hydrophilicity of the modified AqP membrane may be attributed to the obstruction of aquaporins from the feed solution due to the coverage of MEMO-PMMA-Br monomers and TiO2 nanoparticles. The pure water flux of both membranes was significantly improved, with average flux increases of 73.4% and 13.6% identified for the modified CTA and AqP membranes, respectively. In addition, the antifouling performance of the AqP membrane was greatly enhanced after surface modification, attributed to the integrated effects of foulant photodegradation (catalyzed by TiO2 nanoparticles at the interface) and the prevention of functional water channels being blocked by organic foulants due to TiO2 coverage.

Effects of sludge recirculation rate and mixing time on performance of a prototype single-stage anaerobic digester for conversion of food wastes to biogas and energy recovery.

Food wastes have been recognized as the largest waste stream and accounts for 39.25 % of total municipal solid waste in Thailand. Chulalongkorn University has participated in the program of in situ energy recovery from food wastes under the Ministry of Energy (MOE), Thailand. This research aims to develop a prototype single-stage anaerobic digestion system for biogas production and energy recovery from food wastes inside Chulalongkorn University. Here, the effects of sludge recirculation rate and mixing time were investigated as the main key parameters for the system design and operation. From the results obtained in this study, it was found that the sludge recirculation rate of 100 % and the mixing time of 60 min per day were the most suitable design parameters to achieve high efficiencies in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), and total volatile solid (TVS) removal and also biogas production by this prototype anaerobic digester. The obtained biogas production was found to be 0.71 m(3)/kg COD and the composition of methane was 61.6 %. Moreover, the efficiencies of COD removal were as high as 82.9 % and TVS removal could reach 83.9 % at the optimal condition. Therefore, the developed prototype single-stage anaerobic digester can be highly promising for university canteen application to recover energy from food wastes via biogas production.

The energy-saving anaerobic baffled reactor membrane bioreactor (EABR-MBR) system for recycling wastewater from a high-rise building.

A novel energy-saving anaerobic baffled reactor-membrane bioreactor (EABR-MBR) system has been developed as a compact biological treatment system for reuse of water from a high-rise building. The anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) compartment had five baffles and served as the anaerobic degradation zone, followed by the aerobic MBR compartment. The total operating hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the EABR-MBR system was 3 hours (2 hours for ABR compartment and very short HRT of 1 hour for aerobic MBR compartment). The wastewater came from the Charoen Wisawakam building. The results showed that treated effluent quality was quite good and highly promising for water reuse purposes. The average flux of the membrane was kept at 30 l/(m2h). The EABR-MBR system could remove chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen and total phosphorus from building wastewater by more than 90%. Moreover, it was found that phosphorus concentration was rising in the ABR compartment due to the phosphorus release phenomenon, and then the concentration decreased rapidly in the aerobic MBR compartment due to the phosphorus uptake phenomenon. This implies that phosphorus-accumulating organisms inside the EABR-MBR system are responsible for biological phosphorus removal. The research suggests that the EABR-MBR system can be a promising system for water reuse and reclamation for high-rise building application in the near future.

Effect of carrier composition on 2,6-dimethylaniline degradation in aqueous solution by fluidized-bed Fenton process.

The fluidized-bed Fenton process is an alternative process that decreases iron sludge from the Fenton reaction by using carriers to crystallize iron on to the surface of the carrier. In this study, the target compound is 2,6-dimethylaniline, which is a carcinogen and difficult to degrade. This study examined the effect of different carriers on the degradation of 2,6-dimethylaniline by a fluidized-bed Fenton process. The six carriers were alumina dioxide (Al2O3), silica dioxide (SiO2), and black, white, brown and coloured gravels. The results revealed that differences in the composition of elements and the structures of each carrier have different effects on the oxidation of 2,6-dimethylaniline. The carriers containing Ca were not suitable for use in the fluidized-bed Fenton process. In contrast, Al2O3 and SiO2 were more efficient at removing 2,6-dimethylaniline, and the pH value was almost stable. Moreover, 2,6-dimethylanililne removal efficiency of Al2O3 was higher compared with the other carriers. Therefore, in this study, Al2O3 was an optimum carrier for the oxidation of 2,6-dimethylaniline.

Kinetics of 2,6-dimethylaniline oxidation by various Fenton processes.

The kinetics of 2,6-dimethylaniline degradation by Fenton process, electro-Fenton process and photoelectro-Fenton process was investigated. This study attempted to eliminate the potential interferences from intermediates by making a kinetics comparison of Fenton, electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton methods through use initial rate techniques during the first 10 min of the reaction. Exactly how the initial concentration of 2,6-dimethylaniline, ferrous ions and hydrogen peroxide affects 2,6-dimethylaniline degradation was also examined. Experimental results indicate that the 2,6-dimethylaniline degradation in the photoelectro-Fenton process is superior to the ordinary Fenton and electro-Fenton processes. Additionally, for 100% removal of 1mM 2,6-dimethylaniline, the supplementation of 1mM of ferrous ion, 20mM of hydrogen peroxide, current density at 15.89 A m(-2) and 12 UVA lamps at pH 2 was necessary. The overall rate equations for 2,6-dimethylaniline degradation by Fenton, electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton processes were proposed as well.

Chemical oxidation of 2,6-dimethylaniline by electrochemically generated Fenton's reagent.

Oxidation of 2,6-dimethylaniline by electro-Fenton process in acidic solution at pH 2 was investigated. The effects of pH, Fe(2+), H(2)O(2) and current density were assessed to determine the optimum operating parameters. The oxidation efficiency of 2,6-dimethylaniline was determined by the reduction of 2,6-dimethylaniline, COD and TOC in the solutions. Results reveal that 1 mM of 2,6-dimethylaniline can be completely degraded in 4 h with 1 mM of Fe(2+) and 20 mM of H(2)O(2) and current density of 15.89 A m(-2) at pH 2. The highest COD and TOC removal were observed when 120 mM of hydrogen peroxide was applied. Consequently, the electro-Fenton process is a reliable alternative in the degradation of 2,6-dimethylaniline. 2,6-dimethylphenol, 2,6-dimethylnitrobenzene, 2,6-dimethylbenzoquinone, 3-hexanone, lactic acid, oxalic acid, acetic acid, maleic acid and formic acid were detected during the degradation of 1 mM of 2,6-dimethylaniline solution by electro-Fenton method. A reaction pathway that includes these products is proposed for 2,6-dimethylaniline degradation.