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Employing a Photo-Electrochemical Process to Improve Wastewater Quality in Tehran, Iran

  • PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF WATER TREATMENT PROCESSES
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Abstract

Photo-electrochemical (PEC) technology is considered a promising technique to achieve a purified ecosystem. This process is largely employed for mineralizing permanent organic compounds and recovering different metals. The aim of this article was to examine the effectiveness of photo-electrochemical treatment by utilizing a superior type of photo-catalyst (Titanium dioxide (TiO2)) as the anode (lighted by UV lamp, 320 nm) and graphite as the cathode for treating wastewater in Tehran, Iran. Wastewater samples were collected from the inlet of the Southern Tehran Wastewater Treatment Plant. NaCl (as an electrolyte) was added to the wastewater samples before the treatment to improve electrical conductivity (EC) and increase oxidants such as OH and reactive chlorine species (RCS). To optimize and study the probable effects of voltage and redox potential (Eh) on PEC efficiency, two laboratory tests were examined and lasted for 120 min. The tests showed that the best performance for all studied contaminants was at the voltage of 10 V and Eh of +138 mV (the initial Eh of the untreated wastewater). By employing a speciation study, the mechanisms of metal removal by the PEC process were investigated. The results indicated the occurrence of two types of removal, oxidation for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and lead (Pb), and precipitation for zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and Pb. Cluster analysis also showed that the removal of contaminants was controlled by all analyzed quality parameters. These results, thus, indicated the important impacts of EC and total dissolved solids (TDS) on the mass transfer and Eh, and pH on the oxidant production and pollutants adsorption during the PEC treatment. Finally, it is recommended to continuously monitor the Eh changes for the easy assessment of wastewater quality before and after PEC treatment. This study, thus, presents an approach for assessing the PEC removal mechanisms (with excellent activity) and optimization of the ideal treating conditions (Eh and anodic voltage); also, it could serve as a database for further research to develop the PEC treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Gh. Ebraheim, A. R. Karbassi & N. Mehrdadi

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  1. Gh. Ebraheim
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  2. A. R. Karbassi
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  3. N. Mehrdadi
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Correspondence to Gh. Ebraheim.

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In addition, the ethical issues, including plagiarism, informed consent, misconduct, data fabrication and/ or falsification, double publication and/or submission, and redundancy has been completely observed by the authors.

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Gh. Ebraheim, Karbassi, A.R. & Mehrdadi, N. Employing a Photo-Electrochemical Process to Improve Wastewater Quality in Tehran, Iran. J. Water Chem. Technol. 44, 467–475 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1063455X22060042

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