Removal of phenol from steel wastewater by combined electrocoagulation with photo-Fenton

Abstract Phenol and its derivatives are available in various industries such as refineries, coking plants, steel mills, drugs, pesticides, paints, plastics, explosives and herbicides industries. This substance is carcinogenic and highly toxic to humans. The purpose of the study was to investigate the removal of phenol from wastewater of the steel industry using the electrocoagulation–photo-Fenton (EC-PF) process. Phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency were investigated using the parameters pH, Fe2+/H2O2, reaction time and current density. The highest removal efficiency rates of phenol and COD were 100 and 98%, respectively, for real wastewater under optimal conditions of pH = 4, current density = 1.5 mA/cm2, Fe2+/H2O2 = 1.5 and reaction time of 25 min. Combination of the two effective methods for the removal of phenol and COD, photocatalytic electrocoagulation photo-Fenton process is a suitable alternative for the removal of organic pollutants in industry wastewater because of the low consumption of chemicals, absence of sludge and other side products, and its high efficiency.