Electrode passivation, faradaic efficiency, and performance enhancement strategies in electrocoagulation-a review

Treating water and wastewater is energy-intensive, and traditional methods that require large amounts of chemicals are often still used. Electrocoagulation (EC), an electrochemical treatment technology, has been proposed as a more economically and environmentally sustainable alternative. In EC, sacrificial metal electrodes are used to produce coagulant in-situ, which offers many benefits over conventional chemical coagulation. However, material precipitation on the electrodes during long term operation induces a passivating effect that decreases treatment performance and increases power requirements. Overcoming this problem is considered to be the greatest challenge facing the development of EC. In this critical review, the studies that have examined the nature of electrode passivation, and its effect on treatment performance are considered. A fundamental approach is used to examine the association between passivation and faradaic efficiency, a surrogate for EC performance. In addition, the strategies that have been proposed to remove or avoid passivation are reviewed, including aggressive ion addition, AC current operation, polarity reversal, ultrasonication, and mechanical cleaning of the electrodes. It is concluded that the success of implementing each method is dependent on critical operating parameters, and careful consideration should be taken when designing an EC system based on the phenomena discussed in this article. In conclusion, this review provides insight into passivation mechanisms, delivers guidelines for sustaining high treatment performance, and offers an outlook for the future development of EC.