Applicability of electrocoagulation process for removal of contaminants from debrominated wastewater

Debrominated wastewater (DWW) leftover, after the separation of bromine, from the effluent of various in-dustries like fertilizer, pesticide, pharmaceutical, organic chemicals, etc. contains a large amount of COD, TDS, turbidity and color and cannot be discharged directly to water bodies. The investigation for DWW treatment by electrocoagulation (EC) was performed in a two-liter batch-type reactor using SS electrodes (Fe). With the four-plate configuration, a maximum COD, TDS, color, and turbidity removal of 45.5%, 26%, 86.5%, and 100% were obtained respectively, at their optimum pH 9, current intensity 2 amp, and electrode gap 1.5 cm. The maximum energy consumption of 4.2 Wh/L was observed at pH 5 while the maximum electrode loss (EL) was 1.995 g/L at pH 9. The best settling rate was found at pH 3, and the maximum weight of foam and residue of 7.31 kg/m3 was found at pH 9. Electrolysis time was also observed for all parameters.

Automated summary

Electrocoagulation is an effective method to treat debrominated wastewater, achieving maximum removal rates of 45.5% for COD, 26% for TDS, 86.5% for color, and 100% for turbidity under optimal conditions.