A three-dimensional electrochemical process using nanosized zero-valent iron (NZVI)/activated carbon (AC) particle electrode and persulfate (PS) was developed for oxidizing pollutants. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis were performed to characterize particle electrode. XRD and SEM-EDS analysis confirmed that NZVI was impregnated on the surface of AC. Compared with the conventional two-dimensional electrochemical process, the three-dimensional particle electrode process achieved three times higher efficiency in phenol removal. The system with current density of $5mA/cm^2$ exhibited the highest phenol removal efficiency among the systems employing 1, 5, and $10mA/cm^2$. The removal efficiency of phenol increased as the Fe contents in the particle electrode increased. The particle electrode achieved more than 70% of phenol removal until it was reused for three times. The sulfate radical played a predominant role in phenol removal according to the radical scavenging test.

Keywords: Particle electrode;Nanosized zero-valent iron;Activated carbon;Persulfate;Electrochemical oxidation;