Extensive Study of Electrocoagulation-Based Adsorption Process of Real Groundwater Treatment: Isotherm Modeling, Adsorption Kinetics, and Thermodynamics

Abstract

In this study, several adsorption models were studied to predict the adsorption kinetics of turbidity on an electro-generated adsorbent throughout the electrocoagulation remediation of real groundwater. A new design for an electrocoagulation reactor consisting of a finned anode positioned concentrically in a tube-shaped cathode was fabricated, providing a significant active area compared to its immersed volume. This work completed a previous electrochemical study through a deep investigation of adsorption technology that proceeded throughout the electrocoagulation reactor under optimal operating conditions, namely a treatment period of 2–30 min, a 2.3-Ampere current, and a stirring speed of 50 rpm. The one-, two-, and three-parameter adsorption models investigated in this study possess significant regression coefficients: Henry (R2 = 1.000), Langmuir (R2 = 0.9991), Freundlich (R2 = 0.9979), Temkin (R2 = 0.9990), Kiselev (R2 = 0.8029), Harkins–Jura (R2 = 0.9943), Halsey (R2 = 0.9979), Elovich (R2 = 0.9997), Jovanovic (R2 = 0.9998), Hill–de Boer (R2 = 0.8346), Fowler–Guggenheim (R2 = 0.8834), Dubinin–Radushkevich (R2 = 0.9907), Sips (R2 = 0.9834), Toth (R2 = 0.9962), Jossens (R2 = 0.9998), Redlich–Peterson (R2 = 0.9991), Koble–Carrigan (R2 = 0.9929), and Radke–Prausnitz (R2 = 0.9965). The current behavior of the adsorption–electrocoagulation system follows pseudo-first-order kinetics (R2 = 0.8824) and the Bangham and Burt mass transfer model (R2 = 0.9735). The core findings proved that an adsorption-method-based electrochemical cell has significant outcomes, and all the adsorption models could be taken into consideration, along with other kinetic and thermodynamics investigations as well.