The Use of Electrocoagulation to Remove Fluoride, Nitrates and Phosphorous from Water

Abstract

In recent times, the concentrations of fluoride, nitrates and phosphates in the water have increased as a result of a decrease in the quantities of water and an increase in industrial waste dumped into the rivers. In the current study, a method of electrocoagulation was depended on to treat water contaminated with fluoride, nitrates, and phosphates, using aluminum electrodes as anode and cathode electrodes. According to the obtained results, it can be noticed that the best fluoride, nitrates, and phosphates removal were 99%, 99%, 100%, respectively. It was obtained with a Hydraulic retention time HRT = 3 hours, an applied voltage = 40 volts, a gap between the used electrodes=2 cm, the anode's active area= 792 cm2, and the flow angle= zero. By using an initial concentration (5 mg F/l, with pH= 4) for fluoride, (75 mg NO3/l, with pH= 6) for nitrates, and (0.5 mg PO4 / l, with pH=9) for phosphates.