Degradation of clofibric acid in acidic aqueous medium by electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton Original Research Article

Acidic aqueous solutions of clofibric acid (2-(4-chlorophenoxy)-2-methylpropionic acid), the bioactive metabolite of various lipid-regulating drugs, have been degraded by indirect electrooxidation methods such as electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton with Fe2+ as catalyst using an undivided electrolytic cell with a Pt anode and an O2-diffusion cathode able to electrogenerate H2O2. At pH 3.0 about 80% of mineralization is achieved with the electro-Fenton method due to the efficient production of oxidant hydroxyl radical from Fenton’s reaction between Fe2+ and H2O2, but stable Fe3+ complexes are formed. The photoelectro-Fenton method favors the photodecomposition of these species under UVA irradiation, reaching more than 96% of decontamination. The mineralization current efficiency increases with rising metabolite concentration up to saturation and with decreasing current density. The photoelectro-Fenton method is then viable for treating acidic wastewaters containing this pollutant. Comparative degradation by anodic oxidation (without Fe2+) yields poor decontamination. Chloride ion is released during all degradation processes. The decay kinetics of clofibric acid always follows a pseudo-first-order reaction, with a similar rate constant in electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton that increases with rising current density, but decreases at greater metabolite concentration. 4-Chlorophenol, 4-chlorocatechol, 4-chlororesorcinol, hydroquinone, p-benzoquinone and 1,2,4-benzenetriol, along with carboxylic acids such as 2-hydroxyisobutyric, tartronic, maleic, fumaric, formic and oxalic, are detected as intermediates. The ultimate product is oxalic acid, which forms very stable Fe3+-oxalato complexes under electro-Fenton conditions. These complexes are efficiently photodecarboxylated in photoelectro-Fenton under the action of UVA light.