Separation of pollutants from restaurant wastewater by electrocoagulation

The characteristics of restaurant wastewater were investigated. High oil and grease contents were detected. Electrocoagulation was used to treat this type of wastewater. Different electrode materials and operational conditions were examined. Aluminum was preferred to iron. Charge loading was found to be the only variable that affected the treatment efficiency significantly. The optimum charge loading and current density were 1.67-9.95 F/m(3) wastewater and 30-80 A/m(2) depending on the wastewater tested. The removal efficiency of oil and grease exceeded 94% for all wastewaters tested. The experimental results also show that the electrocoagulation can neutralize wastewater pH. Several mechanisms associated with pH variation are proposed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.