<![CDATA[Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) with high COD concentrations (15,000–100,000 mg/L) poses significant environmental risks. This study evaluates the electro-Fenton method using Fe-graphite electrodes as a POME pretreatment unit. The impact of initial pH (4, 5.5, and 7) was examined under fixed conditions: 0.4 A current, 60-minute duration, 0.425 H₂O₂/COD ratio, 300 rpm stirring, and 3 cm electrode spacing. Results indicated the highest COD degradation at pH 7 (34.00%), followed by pH 4 (28.22%) and pH 5.5 (21.55%). The process at pH 4 was best described by a first-order kinetic model (R² = 0.8936). The novelty of this work lies in the effectiveness of the system at natural POME pH (pH 4), enabling significant degradation without pH adjustment to enhance economic feasibility. Furthermore, an 11 oC temperature rise from Joule heating accelerated hydroxyl radical (•OH) diffusion. This method shows promise as an efficient POME pretreatment for biological process integration.]]>
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