Mixed industrial wastewater treatment by the combination of heterogeneous electro-Fenton and electrocoagulation processes

Mixed industrial wastewater treatment efficiency of combined electro-Fenton (EF) and electrocoagulation (EC) processes was investigated in the present study. Alkali modified laterite soil was used as a heterogeneous EF catalyst and found superior performance than the raw laterite soil. Initially, the effect of catalyst dosage, initial pH, and applied voltage on the performance of EF process was carried out. A total of 54.57% COD removal was observed after 60 min of the EF treatment. Further treatment was carried out with EC process at different voltages. A total of 85.27% COD removal after 2 h treatment was observed by combining two electrochemical processes. Performance of EF followed by EC (EF + EC) process was compared with EC followed by EF (EC + EF) process. Even though efficiency is the same, EF + EC is a better strategy than EC + EF as it nullifies the neutralization requirement after EF process in addition to high mineralization efficiency, enhanced biodegradability, and lesser sludge generation.

Automated summary

The efficiency of combined electro-Fenton (EF) and electrocoagulation (EC) processes for treating mixed industrial wastewater was investigated in this study. The use of alkali modified laterite soil as a heterogeneous EF catalyst resulted in superior performance compared to raw laterite soil. By combining the EF process followed by the EC process, a high COD removal rate of 85.27% was achieved after 2 hours of treatment. The EF + EC strategy was found to be better than the EC + EF strategy in terms of nullifying the neutralization requirement, achieving high mineralization efficiency, enhancing biodegradability, and reducing sludge generation.