Electrochemical oxidation of tetrahydrofurfuryl acohol on boron-doped diamond anode: Influence of current density and electrolyte solution.

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), a widely applied raw materials, intermediate and solvent in the fields of agricultural, industry (especially in nuclear industry), is a potentially hazardous and non-biodegradable pollutant in wastewater. In this study, the electrochemical degradation pathways of THFA by a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode with different current density (j = 20, 40 and 60 mA cm) and electrolyte solution (KNO, KCl and KSO) was carefully investigated. The results exhibit that high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and mineralization rates were achieved by rapid non-selective oxidation in electrolyte solutions mediated by hydroxyl radicals (∙OH) and active chlorine (sulfate) under constant current electrolysis. In-depth data analysis using the high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy, the underlying removal pathways of THFA in KNO, KCl and KSO electrolyte solutions are proposed according to the effect of different mineralization mechanisms.