Comparison of the performances of Ti/SnO2-Sb, Ti/SnO2-Sb/PbO2, and Nb/BDD anodes on electrochemical degradation of azo dye

In this paper, the preparation conditions of antimony-doped SnO₂ and PbO₂ electrode were optimized for the degradation activity of AO7 dye solution. The results showed that when the doping content of Sb is 8 mol %(SnO₂-Sb(0.08)), the SnO₂ electrode exhibited best activities for the decolorization and mineralization of AO7. The concentration of NaF in electroplating solution had a noticeable effect on PbO₂ electrode for the decolorization of AO7 solution, but little influence on the COD removal rate. The anodic stability tests showed that the electrode prepared in the solution containing 0.10 g l⁻¹ NaF (PbO₂-F(0.10)) was best for environmental application. The comparison of SnO₂-Sb(0.08), PbO₂-F(0.10) and Boron-doped Diamond (BDD) electrodes revealed that a more rapid decolorization rate was obtained on SnO₂-Sb(0.08) and PbO₂-F(0.10) electrodes in dilute AO7 solutions, while higher COD removal rate of concentrated AO7 solutions was on BDD and SnO₂-Sb(0.08) electrodes. The effect of concentration of Na₂SO₄ on the degradation rate of AO7 was very notable on BDD electrode for its highest overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction. In the chloride-containing medium, the decolorization was accelerated greatly but the completed mineralization of AO7 was inhibited with the increasing of chloride ions concentration when these high-overvoltage anodes were used Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2008, vol. 44, No. 7, pp. 865–875. The text was submitted by the authors in English.