Electro-Fenton degradation of cellulose using graphite/PTFE electrodes modified by 2-ethylanthraquinone

This paper reports an investigation on the degradation of cellulose via electro-Fenton method. The electrodes chosen were graphite/PTFE electrodes modified by 2-ethylanthraquinone (EAQ). The presence of EAQ greatly improved the rate of hydrogen peroxide formation on air-fed graphite/PTFE electrodes, which was determined by a UV spectroscopic method using molybdate as the color agent. Hydrogen peroxide can react with Fe2+ to form hydroxyl radicals in an acidic medium, which accelerates cellulose degradation by cleaving the glycosidic bonds between glucose units. The degradation products of the cellulose contain soluble sugar and 5-HMF, which were fully characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR.