Use of electrocoagulation for treatment of wastewater

Abstract. Effective wastewater treatment is essential for safeguarding environmental integrity and public health. The demand for innovative, cost-effective, and highly efficient technologies to purify wastewater before its release into natural ecosystems has never been more critical. Conventional coagulation techniques used in wastewater treatment exhibit significant limitations, including incomplete pollutant removal, excessive chemical consumption, substantial sludge generation, sensitivity to pH fluctuations, inefficacy against emerging contaminants, high energy requirements, variability in feed water quality, and the necessity for supplementary processes to achieve regulatory standards. This research focuses on electrocoagulation as a promising alternative for wastewater treatment. Electrocoagulation utilizes electric currents to facilitate the coagulation of suspended and dissolved contaminants, leading to their subsequent removal. The study investigates how modifications in key design parameters can optimize this process for various industrial applications, depending on the specific contaminants present. By fine-tuning these parameters, electrocoagulation can be adapted to meet a wide range of treatment requirements, thereby broadening its applicability across different sectors.