Electrocoagulation treatment of oil-based mud wastewater

Abstract

Electrocoagulation has been found to be a promising topic for an efficient remediation of water and wastewater. This is due to its ability to eradicate a wide range of pollutants that are generally harder to remove by other available techniques such as filtration or chemical treatment systems. These contaminants may comprise of heavy metals, suspended solids, emulsified oil, and hydrocarbons. Oily mud wastewater indicates a dangerous threat if released to the environment; as a result, treating it is essential in oil industry. This research has examined a new simple, effective and low cost technique called "electrocoagulation" for the handling of oily mud wastewater using turbidity measurements. "Bench scale" reactor was used to investigate features that may affect the treatment. Al metal was applied as a sacrificial anode. Multi-holes electrodes were structured at horizontal configuration to obtain optimal maximum efficiency. Other tested operation parameters include electrolysis time, initial concentration, applied voltage, the distance separating electrodes, initial pH value and added NaCl concentration. This study demonstrated that this process is a feasible method for treating heavily contaminated oily mud wastewater.