Yang WY  Lee TH  Ryu HW

Vol. 27,  No. 2, pp. 152-159, Jun.  2021
10.7464/ksct.2021.27.2.152

Malodorous VOCs OCl- Electrolysis Electric power

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) occur in indoor and outdoor industrial and urban areas and cause environmental problems. Malodorous VOCs, along with aesthetic discomfort, can have a serious effect on the human body. Compared with the existing method of reducing malodorous VOCs, a wet scrubbing method using an electrolytic oxidant has the advantage of reducing pollutants and regenerating oxidants. This study investigated the optimal conditions for producing OCl-, a chlorine-oxidant. Experiments were conducted by changing the type of anode and cathode electrode, the type of electrolyte, the concentration of electrolytes, and the current density. With Ti/IrO2 as the anode electrode and Ti as the cathode electrode, OClproduction was highest and most stable. Although OCl- production was similar with the use of KCl or NaCl, NaCl is preferable because it is cheap and easy to obtain. The effect of NaCl concentration and current density was examined, and the OClproduction rate and concentration were highest at 0.75 M NaCl and 0.03 A cm-2. However, considering the cost of electric power, OCl- production under the conditions of 1.00 M NaCl and 0.01 A cm-2 was most effective among the conditions examined. It is desirable to produce OCl- by adjusting the current density in accordance with the concentration and characteristics of pollutants.