The operating cost of electrocoagulation

Abstract

The electrocoagulation of kaolinite and bentonite suspensions was studied in a pilot electrocoagulation system at the Western Research Center of CANMET to assess the operating cost and efficiency of the process. Factors affecting the operating cost such as, the formation of passivation layers on electrode plates, flow velocity and concentration of sodium chloride in the suspension were examined. The operating costs investigated in this paper were the power cost of the electrocoagulation cell and the material cost due to the consumption of the aluminum electrode. Comparison was based on the settling properties of the treated product: turbidity, settling rate, and cake height. Higher concentration of sodium chloride resulted in greater amount of aluminum dissolved chemically and electrochemically into the suspension and thus a better clarity of the supernatant of the treated product. Increased flow velocity could reduce significantly the operating cost while improving both clarity of the supernatant and the compactness of the sludge volume. The passivation layers developed quickly with time during the electrocoagulation process and more energy became wasted on the layers.

Excessive Turbidity Removal from Textile Effluents Using Electrocoagulation Technique

“…This method is increasingly gaining popularity because of its environmental compatibility, high particulate removal efficiency, versatility, energy efficiency, safety, selectivity and amenability to automation, low amount sludge generating and cost effectiveness [5,[8][9][10][11]. EC has been proposed and adopted for the treatment of various wastewater such as wastewater containing food and protein wastes [12], textile wastewater [8,13], oil mill wastewater [14], urban wastewater [13], heavy metal laden wastewater [15], nitrite effluent [16], aqueous suspensions containing kaolinite, bentonite, and ultra fine particles [17,18], fluoride containing water [19], restaurant wastewater [20], textile dye solution [21,22], smelter wastewater containing arsenic [23], landfill leachate [24], saline wastewater [25], tar sand and oil shale wastewater [26], laundry wastewater [27], potable water [28], potato chips wastewater [10], poultry slaughterhouse wastewater [8], boron containing water [29], alcohol distillery wastewater [30], sulfide [31] etc. But in Bangladesh, most of the industry owner is not keen to operate effluent treatment plant (ETP) due to high operating cost and very few (like H.R.…”

Electrotreatment of industrial copper plating rinse effluent using mild steel and aluminum electrodes

“…However, the effect was less significant in the case of the Al electrode. It has been reported by several authors 25,31,32 that chloride ions are able to strongly promote anodic dissolution by avoiding inhibition phenomena at the surface of sacrificial anodes. In fact, during electrocoagulation the surface of the electrode is covered by an oxide layer that is continuously formed by water splitting at the solution/oxide interface.…”

Systematic assessment of electrocoagulation for the treatment of marble processing wastewater

“…The operating cost includes material (mainly electrodes) cost, electrical energy cost, as well as labor, maintenance and other costs. The latter cost items are largely independent of the electrode material (Kobya et al 2006b;Bayramoglu et al 2004;Donini et al 1994). Thus, in this study, the operating cost was calculated with electrodes and electrical energy costs.…”