Effects of alternating and direct current in electrocoagulation process on the removal of fluoride from water

BACKGROUND: When direct current (DC) is used in electrocoagulation processes, an impermeable oxide layer may form on the cathode and corrosion of the anode may occur due to oxidation. This prevents effective current transfer between the anode and cathode, so the efficiency of the electrocoagulation process declines. These disadvantages of DC have been reduced by adopting alternating current (AC). The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of AC and DC on the removal of fluoride from water using an aluminum alloy as anode and cathode. RESULTS: Results showed that removal efficiencies of 93 and 91.5% with energy consumption of 1.883 and 2.541 kWh kL(-1) was achieved at a current density of 1.0 A dm(-2) and pH 7.0 using an aluminum alloy as electrodes using AC and DC, respectively. For both AC and DC, the adsorption of fluoride fitted the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption process follows second-order kinetics and temperature studies showed that adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous in nature. CONCLUSIONS: The aluminum hydroxide generated in the cell removed the fluoride present in the water and reduced it to a permissible level thus making it drinkable. It is concluded that an alternating current prevents passivation of the aluminum anode during electrocoagulation and avoids the additional energy wasted due to the resistance of the aluminum oxide film formed on the anode surface. (C) 2010 Society of Chemical Industry