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Combined Coagulation-Electrocoagulation Treatment of Urban, Peri-urban, and Textile Wastewaters: Process Evaluation and Sludge Setting Characteristics

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Abstract

Water is a crucial component in the multifaceted fight against climate change, which is causing the environmental discharge standards to be much more stringent. This research work explored the potential of the electrocoagulation process by combining it with the traditional chemical coagulation process to find the efficacy of this combined treatment for pollutant removal. The effect of different operational parameters like reaction time of electrolysis, applied electrical potential, and concentration of chemical coagulant was studied with respect to removal efficiency and electrode consumption for urban, peri-urban, and textile wastewaters. Moreover, sludge settling characteristics and filterability studies were also studied along with major environmental impact indicators of this process. The results indicated that the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and total suspended solids (TSS) were increased for all three kinds of wastewater samples with applied electrical potential and coagulant dose. The maximum removal efficiencies of BOD5, COD, and TSS for urban wastewater treatment with combined electrochemical process (ECC) were 96.9%, 94.4%, and 94.1%; for peri-urban wastewater were 96.2%, 92%, and 93.3%; and for textile wastewater were 96.3%, 96%, and 95.7%, respectively. Reaction time of the electrolysis process was most significant for the first half an hour of the electrocoagulation process. Furthermore, sludge volume index (SVI) of 58.5, 60, and 67 mL/g for urban, peri-urban, and textile wastewaters showed excellent setting characteristics in conjunction with impressive filterability.

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All data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this article.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the University of Alberta for providing support for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, NFC Institute of Engineering and Fertilizer Research, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Suleman Arshad, Waqar Ali Khan & Muhammad Tahir Ishfaq

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2W2, Canada

    Muhammad Usman

Authors
  1. Suleman Arshad
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  2. Waqar Ali Khan
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  3. Muhammad Tahir Ishfaq
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  4. Muhammad Usman
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Contributions

Suleman Arshad: concepts, design, data collection, and experimentation. Waqar Ali Khan: concepts, design, data collection, experimentation, and supervision. Muhammad Tahir Ishfaq: concepts, design, data collection, and experimentation. Muhammad Usman: technical correction, proofread, and supervision.

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Correspondence to Muhammad Usman.

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The research effort is original and does not include any findings from other sources, with the exception of cited work. As a result, the ethical standards are followed throughout the work.

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We have submitted the manuscript entitled “Combined Coagulation-Electrocoagulation Treatment of Urban, Peri-urban, and Textile Wastewaters: Process Evaluation and Sludge Setting Characteristics” to be considered for publication. We declare that this is our original research work.

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Arshad, S., Khan, W.A., Ishfaq, M.T. et al. Combined Coagulation-Electrocoagulation Treatment of Urban, Peri-urban, and Textile Wastewaters: Process Evaluation and Sludge Setting Characteristics. Water Conserv Sci Eng 8, 39 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41101-023-00214-y

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