Feasibility study of the use of activated carbon from agroindustrial waste in an electro-Fenton filter as an alternative to commercial activated carbon for the treatment of textile wastewater

Abstract

This work examined the feasibility of using activated carbon derived from agroindustrial waste in an electrochemical filtering device. The device consists of a 90 mL packed reactor. Dye brilliant blue (AB, in Spanish) for coloring food was used as a model contaminant. Three variables were evaluated using a full factorial design: activated carbon precursor: orange peel or spent-coffee ground; reactor operation mode: continuous or batch; and electrochemical process: electro-Fenton or electro-oxidation. The optimal conditions (orange peel, continuous, and electro-Fenton) reduced the dye concentration by 40% after 180 min. These conditions were scaled to a 425 mL reactor using AB and wastewater from a textile factory. The device reduced the AB concentration by up to 60%; nevertheless, the total organic carbon for the wastewater remained the same. These results suggest that the device needs further studying for real applications.