In Situ Oxidative Degradation of Formaldehyde with Electrogenerated Hydrogen Peroxide

The factors affecting the cathodic reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide and the degradation of formaldehyde using in situ generated hydrogen peroxide are presented in this work. The current efficiency for the production of hydrogen peroxide on graphite has been indicated by the experimental results to have been significantly affected by the pH value, the current density, the temperature, and the oxygen sparging rate. The maximum current efficiency for the cathodic reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide was 93.5%. The degradation of formaldehyde by the electrogenerated hydrogen peroxide was primarily governed by the current density, the pH value, and the temperature. The degradation fraction of formaldehyde was more than 99% whenever the initial concentration of formaldehyde was in the range of 250 to 1000 ppm.