Preparation of iron electrode derived from iron steel waste for decolorization of various type of dyes via electrocoagulation method / Nurul Athikah Azizan

This present study examines the preparation of iron electrode (Fe.S) derived from iron steel waste for decolorization of Reactive Black 5 (RB5), Acid Blue 29 (AB29), and Methylene Blue (MB) via electrocoagulation method. The Fe.S was synthesized by varying the loading of iron steel waste and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as binder. The Fe.S electrode was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), nitrogen adsorption analysis, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF), and Fourier Transformed Infra-red (FTIR). Additionally, electrochemical characterisation was executed using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PEIS). The electrodes performance was assessed at different operating parameters which includes initial pH, current density, and initial dye concentration. Subsequently, the stability of the Fe.S electrode was tested for the best operating conditions. The best preparation iron electrode was found at 3 g of iron sludge powder loading and 30 wt% of PTFE as binder at ratio 4:1:3, denoted as 30Fe.S which exhibited almost complete decolorization within 60 minutes of treatment time. Interestingly, the best preparation iron electrode also has minimum chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 67% compared to others composition loading ratio.