Treatment of Real Municipal Wastewater Using Aluminum Electrode by Electrocoagulation Process: Experimental Design and Process Performance

This study focuses on evaluating the electrocoagulation process as a method for the treatment of real municipal wastewater using aluminum plate electrodes as an anode in a batch electrochemical reactor. An attempt was made to model the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal and Electrical Energy Consumption (EEC) as a function of the critical operating variables for the determination of optimal conditions statistically. The initial pH, current, and reaction time were selected as key independent variables in a five-level Central Composite Design (CCD); at the same time,  COD removal efficiency and EEC were considered as the response function. At the optimum conditions proposed by CCD (pH=۶.۲, I=۰.۰۲۵A, and T=۴۶ min), a maximum COD removal efficiency of ۸۵.۷% with electrical energy consumption of ۰.۱۵۱ kW h/m۳ was achieved. In addition, the operating costs, energy; and electrode consumptions at optimum conditions were calculated to be ۰.۱۱۲۷۰۷۹ /m۳, ۰.۱۵۱ kWh/m۳; and ۰.۰۲۶ kg/m۳, respectively. These results presented here prove that the EC process has good performance and great potential for efficient treatment of real municipal wastewater.

کلیدواژه ها:

Real municipal wastewater ، electrocoagulation ، Central composite design ، Chemical oxygen demand ، energy consumption