Electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid in the presence of halides at boron doped diamond electrode

Aim of this work is to discuss the electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid (OA), analyzing the influence of NaCl and NaBr. Experiments were carried out at boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes, in alkaline media. BDD electrodes have a poor superficial adsorptivity so their great stability toward oxidation allows the reaction to take place with reactants and intermediates in a non-adsorbed state. The process is significantly accelerated by the presence of a halogen salt in solution; interestingly, the mediated process does not depend on applied current density. Based on the results, bromide was selected as a suitable mediator during OA oxidation at BDD. Br– primarily acts in the volume of the solution, with the formation of strong oxidants; while Cl– action has shown lower improvements in the OA oxidation rate at BDD respect to the results reported using Pt electrode. Finally, the parameters of removal efficiency and energy consumption for the electrochemical incineration of OA were calculated