Surface-Modified Nickel Foam Cathodes for the Electroflotation of Multi-Component Batik Wastewater

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Batik textile industry wastewater poses challenges due to diverse pollutants like dyes and heavy metals.
• Electroflotation is a promising, eco-friendly wastewater treatment technology.
• Cathodic material optimization in electroflotation remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nickel foam (NF) as a cathode material for batik wastewater electroflotation.
• To enhance NF cathode performance through surface modification.
• To elucidate the removal mechanisms of pollutants using NF-based cathodes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nickel foam (NF) as a cathode material.
• Modified NF via electrodeposition to create NF/Ni and NF/Ni-OH cathodes.
• Employed electroflotation with NF/Ni-OH cathode and carbon rod anode in NaCl electrolyte.
• Analyzed pollutant removal efficiencies and elucidated mechanisms.

Main Results:

• NF cathode outperformed commercial electrodes due to superior conductivity, surface area, and low overpotential.
• NF/Ni-OH cathode achieved high removal rates for dyes (e.g., Reactive Black 5, 99.87%), heavy metals (e.g., Zn, 91.4%), and silicate (21.0%).
• High surface area of NF-based cathodes enhanced hydrogen bubble generation and pollutant flotation.

Conclusions:

• NF-based cathodic electroflotation is effective for simultaneous removal of dyes, heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn), and silicates from batik wastewater.
• Optimized conditions and modified NF cathodes offer a robust and reusable solution.
• This technology presents a sustainable approach for treating complex industrial effluents.