Reductive Electrolytic Dechlorination

A biofilm-electrode reactor (BER) was used to dechlorinate pentachlorophenol (PCP), a recalcitrant halogenated organic used in wood and leather preservation. Electrical current was shown to play a necessary role in dechlorination, although it is unknown whether this was due to the resultant generation of hydrogen or the low reducing potential surface formed on the cathode of the anode-cathode cell. The PCP concentration in the feed was 5,000 {micro} g/L, and the PCP in the effluent was about 50 {micro}g/L, at a ethanol feed of 5 mg/L, which is a 99% reduction in PCP concentration. The feed ethanol was varied from zero to 100 mg/L, with the greatest PCP removal occurring at the highest ethanol feed rate. The total dechlorination decreased significantly when the ethanol was removed from the feed, indicating that the ethanol stabilized dechlorination.