Electrochemical oxidation of phenol for wastewater treatment using SnO2, anodes

The electrochemical oxidation of phenol for waste water treatment was studied on doped SnO2 anodes. Analysis of reaction intermediates and a carbon balance has shown that the main reaction is oxidation of phenol to CO2. This unexpected behaviour of the SnO2 anode is explained by a change of the chemical structure of the electrode surface during anodic polarization.