Removal of perfluorinated compounds in wastewater treatment plant effluents by electrochemical oxidation

The presence of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the effluents of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Beijing was investigated in the current study. Perfluorooctanoate acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate were the predominant PFCs in wastewater, accounting for 19–27% and 18–31%, respectively. The concentrations of PFCs with long chains were much lower than those PFCs with short chains (≤C8). An electrochemical oxidation reactor was employed for advanced treatment of PFCs in WWTP effluents using stainless steel plates as anode and cathode electrodes. It was concluded that the removal efficiency of PFCs was improved accordingly with the increasing applied current density. The removal efficiencies of target PFCs ranged from 23.53 to 51.79% with a reaction time of 30 minutes, current density of 20 mA/cm², electrode plate distance of 1.0 cm and electrode plate amounts of five pairs.