Emmanuel Pepprah, M. Khire
2008
Citations
0
Influential Citations
5
Citations
Journal
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Abstract
The key objectives of this study were to evaluate the use of an alternating current (AC) for the degradation of naphthalene in spiked aqueous solutions and to investigate the effect of current density on the degradation rates of naphthalene. Direct current (DC) was also used to compare the rates of degradation. Sodium chloride (NaCl) and anhydrous sodium sulfate ( Na2 SO4 ) were used as the supporting electrolytes. Degradation rates and byproducts formed were investigated when DC and AC were separately passed through naphthalene solutions. A square wave AC, having a frequency equal to 0.1 Hz was used. Naphthalene solutions having an initial concentration of about 20 mg∕L (∼0.15 mM) were subjected to an AC peak current density and DC density of 6 mA∕ cm2 , using NaCl as the supporting electrolyte. An approximate 65% reduction in the concentration of naphthalene was observed after a period of 48 h when DC was applied. Degradation was almost 100% when the AC was applied during the 48-h period. The effect of ...