LABORATORY STUDY OF ELECTROCOAGULATION FOR COD REMOVAL FROM WASTEWATER

Abstract

The current work investigates the ability of the new aluminium-based electrocoagulation (EC) cell to remediate chemical oxygen demand (COD) from synthetic wastewater. The experimental work was carried out using a rectangular EC cell (10 cm in length, 9.5 cm in width, and 7 cm in depth). The EC cell was supplied with six perforated aluminium electrodes; four of these electrodes were used in the treatment methods (connected to DC electrical current), while the first and the last electrodes were used as baffle plates (to mix water). This lab-scale unit was used to treat synthetic wastewater having 300 mg/l of COD, considering the effect of the treatment time and initial pH. After 40 minutes of treatment at a pH of 7 and a current density of 10 A/m2, 51% of COD was removed by the new EC unit. The results also revealed that the removal of the COD is positively influenced by the increase of the applied current density and/or treatment time.