Construction of a novel integrated electrochemical oxidation-coagulation system for simultaneous removal of suspended solids and antibiotics

A novel integrated electrochemical oxidation-coagulation system combining boron-doped diamond anode and aluminum cathode was proposed for simultaneous removal of suspended solids and antibiotics. Experiments on simulated wastewater showed that the coupling of boron-doped diamond anode oxidation and aluminum cathode electrochemical coagulation could simultaneously and efficiently remove different forms of pollutants. The integrated system could achieve 67.4% turbidity and 95.48% tetracycline removal in simulated tetracycline wastewater, and 71.25% turbidity and 99.78% sulfamethoxazole removal in simulated sulfamethoxazole wastewater. The oxidation and coagulation functions of the integrated system were verified by in situ particle size analysis and electron spin resonance experiments. Compared with separate electrocoagulation and separate electrooxidation, the integrated system has the advantages of high space utilization, low energy consumption, and wide application range. It is promising to realize the simultaneous and efficient purification of suspended solids and antibiotics in wastewater at low cost.