Progressive Freeze Concentration: Optimization of Trichlorophenol Removal in Wastewater via Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

2,4,6- Trichlorophenol (TCP) is a toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic compound found in the emission from fossil fuel combustion, municipal waste incineration, and water disinfection for domestic usage. TCP has been classified as one of the primary pollutants that should be treated for inland water discharge. This study aims to introduce a new approach to remove the TCP in wastewater through the simple and cost-effective progressive freeze concentration (PFC) method. The effect of coolant temperature and circulation flow rate in the PFC method was investigated, and its effectiveness was characterized by calculating the effective partition constant (K) and the TCP reduction (TR). Optimisation was performed to determine the optimum condition for the TCP removal using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The best circulation flow rate and coolant temperature for the one-variable-at-a-time (OVAT) experiment were found to be 900 rpm and -5 °C. Based on ANOVA, the PFC system was predicted to produce a low K value and high TR with temperature in the range of -4.5 °C to -5 °C and circulation flow rate in the range of 900 rpm to 1000 rpm.