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Performance investigation of electrochemical assisted HClO/Fe2+ process for the treatment of landfill leachate

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Abstract

The feasibility of removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+–N) from landfill leachate by an electrochemical assisted HClO/Fe2+ process is demonstrated for the first time. The performance of active chlorine generation at the anode was evaluated in Na2SO4/NaCl media, and a higher amount of active chlorine was produced at greater chloride concentration and higher current density. The probe experiments confirmed the coexistence of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and Fe(IV)-oxo complex (FeIVO2+) in the HClO/Fe2+ system. The influence of initial pH, Fe2+ concentration, and applied current density on COD and NH4+–N abatement was elaborately investigated. The optimum pH was found to be 3.0, and the proper increase in Fe2+ dosage and current density resulted in higher COD removal due to the accelerated accumulation of •OH and FeIVO2+ in the bulk liquid phase, whereas, the NH4+–N oxidation was significantly affected by the applied current density because of the effective active chlorine generation at higher current but was nearly independent of Fe2+ concentration. The reaction mechanism of electrochemical assisted HClO/Fe2+ treatment of landfill leachate was finally proposed. The powerful •OH and FeIVO2+, in concomitance with active chlorine and M(•OH), were responsible for COD abatement, and active chlorine played a key role in NH4+–N oxidation. The proposed electrochemical assisted HClO/Fe2+ process is a promising alternative for the treatment of refractory landfill leachate.

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All data and materials used during this study are included in the submitted manuscript and the supplementary files.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (No. 02190052020062) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52100073).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China

    Zhihong Ye, Fei Miao & Hui Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Eco-Environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Zhihong Ye

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  1. Zhihong Ye
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  2. Fei Miao
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  3. Hui Zhang
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Contributions

ZY: conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, writing—original draft, funding acquisition.

FM: methodology, data collection, formal analysis, writing—review and editing. HZ: conceptualization, methodology, validation, resources, writing—review and editing, supervision.

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Correspondence to Zhihong Ye or Hui Zhang.

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Responsible Editor: Ricardo A. Torres-Palma

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Ye, Z., Miao, F. & Zhang, H. Performance investigation of electrochemical assisted HClO/Fe2+ process for the treatment of landfill leachate. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 46875–46884 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19174-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19174-2

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