Removal of Cypermethrin and Chemical Oxygen Demand from Livestock Wastewater by Electrocoagulation

The direct discharge of wastewater from livestock into freshwater and surface runoff originating from processing areas threaten aquatic ecosystems and the quality of drinking water taken from streams. The present work studied the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and cypermethrin (Cyp) from livestock wastewater generated after cattle baths by a continuous electrocoagulation (EC) process. The effect of pH, retention time, and voltage on COD and Cyp removal was examined. Under the optimal operating conditions, EC effectively removed COD (93%) and cypermethrin (96%). Thus, continuous EC was successfully applied to treat livestock wastewater.