Adsorption & Electrochemical Oxidation of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater using a Monolith Adsorbent

Abstract

Arvia Technology Ltd has created a patented wastewater treatment technology based on adsorption and electrochemical oxidation. The process provides an alternative to post-adsorption options available such as disposing spent adsorbents to landfill or thermal regeneration, which have sustainability and economic issues respectively. The aim of this work was to develop a monolith adsorbent and analyse its applicability in an electrochemical cell, mimicking the ArviaTM process. In order to develop an efficient continuous flow system the monolith adsorbent was proposed as an alternative to the current packed bed configuration. Initially a synthesis procedure for the monolith adsorbents was found from literature and important conditions such as the binder quantity and carbonisation conditions were optimised in terms of adsorption capacity and electrical conductivity. Electrochemical cells were then developed to contain these monoliths where improvements came from initially using a batch regeneration cell, to then creating a simultaneous adsorption and electrochemical regeneration cell, to finally developing a continuous flow cell (CFC). The constituent powder used was then changed and composites were also created from Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) and Powdered Graphite (PG). Finally the monolith structure was developed in an attempt to access the internal porosity and create extra surface area by using techniques such as drilling, laser drilling and 3D printing. Based on the results found in this work, a monolith adsorbent is able to treat organic contaminants in an electrochemical cell. The monolith was tested for its ability to both adsorb organics in wastewater and also be electrochemically regenerated within an electrochemical cell, both were successful. The CFC arrangement worked well and enhanced the versatility of the organic removal process. It was found that changing the constituent powder from PAC to PG improved the removal process in the CFC and also increased the electrical conductivity of the monolith significantly. The use of structural development techniques such as drilling and 3D printing provided promise in improving the technology and further developing it. This monolith electrochemical cell configuration is now ready to be scaled-up and tested for its ability to perform on a larger scale.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2020
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Stuart Holmes (Supervisor) & Philip Martin (Supervisor)