Removal turbidity and separation of heavy metals using electrocoagulation-electroflotation technique A case study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Treatment Technologies
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Conventional wastewater treatment methods often face challenges with efficiency and sludge generation.
• Electrocoagulation (EC) and electroflotation (EF) present an alternative with potential for improved pollutant removal and reduced sludge.
• Organic pollutants, dyestuffs, and heavy metals in industrial wastewater require effective and sustainable treatment solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of operating parameters (pH, concentration, duration, current density, interelectrode distance, conductivity) on synthetic wastewater treatment using EC-EF.
• To determine optimal operating conditions for the EC-EF process.
• To apply optimized EC-EF parameters for treating textile wastewater and removing heavy metals.

Main Methods:

• Batch-type electrocoagulation-electroflotation (EC-EF) reactor utilized.
• Systematic variation of current densities (11.55–91.5 mA/cm²) and interelectrode distances (1–3 cm).
• Evaluation of pollutant removal efficiency (turbidity, SS, BOD, COD, color) and heavy metal separation under optimized conditions.

Main Results:

• High turbidity removal (89.54%) achieved in synthetic wastewater under specific optimal conditions (11.55 mA/cm², pH 7.6, 2.1 mS/cm, 10 min, 1 cm).
• Optimized EC-EF demonstrated high removal efficiencies for textile wastewater: SS (86.5%), turbidity (81.56%), BOD5 (83%), COD (68%), and color (>92.5%).
• Rapid removal of heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) with >95% efficiency within 15 minutes.

Conclusions:

• The electrocoagulation-electroflotation process is highly effective for treating complex industrial wastewater, including textile effluents.
• Optimal operating parameters significantly enhance the removal of organic pollutants and suspended solids.
• EC-EF provides a rapid and efficient method for heavy metal removal, achieving high removal rates in short treatment times.