Applicability of electrochemical treatment for removal of 2,6-dimethylphenol

Water pollution, which occurs for many reasons, directly affects the living life. Among these reasons are phenol and its derivatives. Phenols are organic compounds containing hydroxyl group directly attached to the benzene or benzenoid ring. Phenols, which are used in many industrial areas, cause very serious health problems in contact. Phenols are toxic as well as carcinogenic compounds. It is possible to remove phenols from the aquatic environment by various treatment methods. With the advancement of technology, different studies have been carried out on the removal of phenol by electrochemical methods. In this study, the electrochemical treatment of synthetic wastewater containing 2,6-Dimethylphenol, a derivative of phenol, was investigated. Experiments on electrode type, pH, electrolyte type and amount, current intensity, operating time, and distance between electrodes which were the parameters that affect the removal efficiency in the electrochemical treatment process were carried out and optimum conditions were determined. Accordingly, the use of stainless steel (Ss) as anode and cathode, the distance between the electrodes1 cm, the pH of the environment of 8, the current intensity of 2 A, the concentration of the supporting electrolyte 0.5 g/L NaCl and at the end of the 210 min. operating time 67% removal efficiency has been done. In the study carried out in real industrial wastewater containing 777,9 mg/L 2,6-Dimethylphenol, 57% treatment efficiency was obtained under optimum conditions.