Performance evaluation of the electro-coagulation treatment process for the removal of total suspended solids and metals from water

Abstract

Globalization, industrialization, mining, and uncontrolled population growth have fostered a shortage of potable water. Thus, it has become imperative to understand an effective and reasonable water purification technique. A renewed interest in electrocoagulation has been spurred by the search for reliable water-treatment processes. This paper has elucidated a technical approach for getting rid of heavy metals and total suspended solids from water using an aluminum electrode. The effect of operational parameters, i.e. current density, inter-electrode distance, operating time, and pH, were studied and evaluated for maximum efficiency. The study corroborates the correlation between current density and removal efficiency. Neutral pH and a low electrode gap have been found to aid the efficacy of the electrocoagulation. The results shows a maximum TSS removal efficiency of 76.6 % at a current density of 5.3 mA/cm2 and contact time of 30 minutes. In the heavy metal remediation, 30 min of process time has exhibited extreme reduction rates of 99 %, 59.2%, and 45.8%, for Cu, Cr, and Zn, respectively. During the experiments, electrical conductivity and dissolved solids were found to fluctuate by 5-6 % of the original value. Moreover, kinetic study has also demonstrated for pollutants removal follows first and second order model.