Wastewater treatment in electrocoagulation systems: investigation of the impact of temperature using a fuzzy logic...

In an electrocoagulation process, controlling various parameters, such as temperature, pH, and conductivity, increases the performance of the process. In this study, fuzzy logic algorithms were used to control the temperature of the electrocoagulation system for the removal of pollutants from textile wastewater. In the experimental part, we used a reactor with a cooling jacket to control the temperature, and the flow rate of the cooling water was a variable that we could manipulate. Also, we investigated the use of a single-variable fuzzy control process and a multivariable fuzzy control process to control the dynamic behavior of the system. In the single variable control process, the effect of temperature was investigated at chosen original temperatures, i.e., 17.2 °C, 20 °C, and 23 °C. In the multivariable control, the temperature-pH and temperature-conductivity pairs were controlled separately in different processes. When the removal efficiencies were determined for the two control approaches, it was observed that the temperature-pH control process outperformed the temperature-conductivity control process, and its removal efficiencies for COD, color, and turbidity were about 74.6%, 85.2%, and 91.0%, respectively. Thus, the results obtained from this study will be useful for other investigators in the field. Graphical abstract .