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A Combined Electrocoagulation-Electroperoxidation Process for the Tertiary Treatment of Domestic Wastewaters

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a process that combines electrocoagulation and electroperoxidation (EC-EP) and to evaluate its performance in treating domestic wastewaters (DWW). Electrolysis was performed using a parallelepipedic electrolytic cell (0.5 L) containing one sacrificial anode (mild steel or aluminum) and one cathode (vitreous carbon). The effects of the treatment time, current density, and type of anode electrode on the process performance were examined. The experimental results revealed that a current density of 4.0 mA cm−2 was beneficial for DWW treatment. There was a decrease in the chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solid (SS), turbidity, color, and total phosphorus (Ptot) by 67 ± 9, 98 ± 2, 55 ± 10, 61 ± 9, and 97 ± 0 %, respectively, for a treatment time of 60 min in the electrolysis cell in the presence of mild steel (anode) and vitreous carbon (cathode) electrodes. The process was also determined to be effective for removing pathogens (99 ± 1 % removal), such as fecal coliform (the log-inactivation was higher than 2 units).

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Acknowledgments

Sincere thanks are extended to the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Premier Tech for their financial contributions to this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (Eau-Terre et Environnement), Université du Québec, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

    Fatou Senghor, Patrick Drogui & Brahima Seyhi

Authors
  1. Fatou Senghor
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  2. Patrick Drogui
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  3. Brahima Seyhi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Drogui.

Electronic Supplementary Material

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SM 1

The evolution of H2O2 concentrations within the electrolytic cell when using an Fe, Al, or Ti/IrO2 electrode at the anode and a current density of 4 mA cm-2. (DOCX 21 kb)

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Senghor, F., Drogui, P. & Seyhi, B. A Combined Electrocoagulation-Electroperoxidation Process for the Tertiary Treatment of Domestic Wastewaters. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 373 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2637-6

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