Electrocoagulation treatment of industrial tannery wastewater employing a modified rotating cylinder electrode reactor

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 264; no. Pt 2; p. 128491
• Main Authors: Villalobos-Lara, A. Daniel, Álvarez, Francisco, Gamiño-Arroyo, Zeferino, Navarro, Ricardo, Peralta-Hernández, Juan M., Fuentes, Rosalba, Pérez, Tzayam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2021
• Subjects: Aluminum; Aluminum electrodes; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Electrocoagulation; Electrodes; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial tannery wastewater; Industrial Waste; Rotating cylinder electrode; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Waste Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Aluminum electrodes; Rotating cylinder electrode; Electrocoagulation; Industrial tannery wastewater
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128491

The removal of highly concentrated pollutants, presented in a wastewater mixture from industrial tannery effluents by electrocoagulation, was examined. All experiments were carried out in a rotating cylinder electrode reactor with six aluminum anodes and two sedimentation tanks. The influence of the applied current density and rotational speed on the removal efficiency of an electrocoagulation reactor was studied. Chemical oxygen demand was diminished at 70%, while total suspended solids, chromium (III) and turbidity were almost eliminated (>90%) with 6 mA cm−2 of the applied current density. Additionally, a homogeneous cathodic deposit was obtained at the end of each test. Those cathodic deposits and flocs were analyzed by SEM-EDS. Calculations of the cell energy consumption and the produced aluminum cost were estimated for 6 mA cm−2 and 100 rpm, obtaining 1.98 kWh m−3 and $0.7 USD m−3, respectively. [Display omitted] •A modified RCE-EC reactor with two sedimentation tanks was employed.•Concentrated pollutants in a wastewater mixture from tannery industry were removed.•Rotational speed, aluminum dose and current density effects were evaluated.•SEM-EDS analysis for flocs and cathodic deposits were development.