Abstract
This paper presents the study of the electrochemical oxidation of the pesticide Abamectin at a boron-doped diamond (BDD). The effect of using different supporting electrolytes (NaCl, K2SO4, Na2CO3 and Na2SO4) during the galvanostatic electrolysis of Abamectin was investigated. The influence of several operating parameters, such as applied current density, effect of electrolytes (NaCl), was investigated. UV spectroscopy and chemical oxygen demand measurements were conducted to study the reaction kinetics of abamectin mineralization. The experimental results showed that the electrochemical process was suitable for almost completely removing COD, due to the production of hydroxyl radicals on the diamond surface. In particular, the COD removal follows a pseudo first-order kinetics and the apparent rate constant increased with flowrate applied current and NaCl concentration. Under optimal experimental conditions of current density (i.e. 80 mA/ cm2), 88% of COD was removed in 2.5 h electrolysis.