ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Degradation of Oil Pollution in Seawater
by Bipolar Electro-Fenton Process
Jin Zhang, Mi-hua Shao, Hong Dong
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School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University,
Dalian 116026, Liaoning, PR China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2014;23(3):933-941
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The fast development of oil products leads to growing waste emissions and oil spill accidents. Oil dissolved
in water causes many immediate and potentially chronic adverse effects on marine habitats and coastal
ecosystems. Electro-Fenton technology possesses many significant advantages for treatment of refractory
material from water. The possibility of using in situ electrochemical reaction of the bipolar electro-Fenton
process for solving oil pollution problems in seawater is investigated. The study shows that the bipolar electro-
Fenton technology is feasible for treatment of oily seawater. In the process of the bipolar electro-Fenton,
operating current density and pH have effects on the removal efficiency of oil pollution from seawater. Higher
current density is favorable for removal of oil pollution, and the optimum pH was 2.5-3.5. Under the optimum
pH value of 3.5 and current density of 25 mA/m2, the oil and COD concentration decreased about 90-95%. By
process of the bipolar electro-Fenton, most of the components of oil were degraded to smaller molecular compounds.
In addition to indirect oxidation, electro flocculation and adsorption is inevitable for the removal of
pollutants when using bipolar electro-Fenton.