Radar - Wastewater Treatment with Radicals: Development of an Electrochemical Module for the production of oxidants for Wastewater Treatment

Objective

The cornerstones of sustainable water management are a resource-conserving handling of natural waters and the prevention of further pollution. Poorly degradable organics in treated wastewater are a major challenge for environmentally friendly water management. The reuse of process water in industrial water cycles requires removal of interfering organic residues. In municipal sewage treatment plants, poorly degradable organic residues, e.g. pharmaceuticals, are inadequately eliminated and discarded into the aquatic environment.

Approach to remove persistent organic compounds from wastewater

In the BMBF-funded project RADAR, the persistent organic matter is largely mineralized by OH radicals. The electrochemical module for generating the OH radicals consists of a novel electrode combination of boron-doped diamond electrode (OH radicals / ozone) and gas diffusion electrode (hydrogen peroxide). High oxidative species are generated at both electrodes and can thus be added directly or indirectly to the wastewater for oxidation. In this way, the current efficiency and the efficiency of the wastewater treatment are increased.

The subject of the investigation is to design a scalable design of the electrochemical module. In advance, the properties of the individual electrodes are examined in a laboratory scale cell in order to coordinate their operation at their optimum. Moreover, the degradation of persistent model molecules in terms of high degradation rates and current efficiency as well as oxidation by-products will be investigated.

For further information:

http://machwas-material.de/RADAR.html