Treatment of metal plating wastewater by electrocoagulation

In this study, the performance of electrocoagulation process in the treatment of metal plating wastewater was investigated using different combinations of aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) electrodes. The effect of applied current, metal concentration, and treatment time on the metal removal efficiency was investigated. The results show that electrocoagulation can effectively reduce metal ions to a very low level. The Fe-Fe and Fe-Al electrode combinations were more effective for the removal of Cu, Cr, and Ni from metal plating wastewater. Almost 100% removal of Cu, Cr, and Ni was achieved with initial Cu concentration of 335 mg/L, Cr concentration of 193 mg/L, Ni concentration of 526 mg/L after 60 min of electrocoagulation at current of 2.0 A with Fe-Al electrode combination. (c) 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2011.