Investigation of different reactor configurations for electrochemical ferrate (VI) synthesis

There are numerous methods used for wastewaters treatment. The agents to be used in those methods should be harmless and degraded to non-hazardous byproducts. Ferrate (VI) has high oxidation capability and is reduced to a non-toxic byproduct, Fe (III), during the degradation of pollutants. Thus, ferrate (VI) is one of the most influential and eco-friendly chemical for water and wastewater treatment. This study aimed to investigate electrochemical ferrate (VI) synthesis, using two different reactor configurations using pure iron plates (R1) and cast-iron flakes (R2) as electrode. In this study, the optimum conditions have been determined experimentally for electrochemical synthesis of ferrate (VI). Ferrate (VI) yield and current efficiency are leading parameters for this purpose. The most appropriate electrolyte concentration is found as 16 M, and the applied current of 1 A is the optimum value with the highest determined current efficiency for both reactor configurations. In comparison with reactor configurations, R2 with iron flakes provided higher ferrate (VI) yield and current efficiency providing higher surface area and higher dissolution rates.