Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A study on influential factors of high-phosphorus wastewater treated by electrocoagulation–ultrasound

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A combined treatment of electrocoagulation and ultrasound was proposed to solve some problems which exist in the phosphorus removal processes in fine chemical industry. The intermittently discharged wastewater has the features of high initial phosphorus concentration and wide initial pH variation. The electrocoagulation–ultrasound effective performance for the removal of phosphorus was investigated. The results obtained from synthetic wastewater showed that the total phosphorus (TP) decreased from 86 to about 0.4 mg/L, and the removal efficiency reached about 99.6 %, when ultrasound was applied to the electrocoagulation cell under the optimum working conditions in 10 min. Comparatively, the TP removal efficiency of electrocoagulation group was 81.3 % and the ultrasound group has almost no change. Therefore, we can conclude that the electrocoagulation and ultrasound synergistic effect can effectively degrade high-phosphorus wastewater. We have discussed the impact of various parameters on the electrocoagulation–ultrasound based on the phosphorus removal efficiency. The results obtained from synthetic wastewater showed that the optimum working pH was found to be 6, allowing the effluent to be met the emission standards without pH adjustment. An increased current enhanced the speed of treatment significance, but higher current (>40 mA/cm2) enhanced ultrasonic cavitation effect causing flocculation ineffective. In addition, it was found that the optimum ultrasonic power was 4 W/cm2 and the frequency was 20 kHz. The best ultrasound intervention and ultrasonic irradiation time were processed with electrocoagulation simultaneously. The results indicated that the electrocoagulation–ultrasound could be utilized as an attractive technique for removal of phosphate in the real wastewater.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adhoum N, Monser L (2004) Decolourization and removal of phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater by electrocoaqulation. Chem Eng Process 43:1281–1287

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Agyei NM, Strydom CA, Potgieter JH (2000) An investigation of phosphate ion adsorption from aqueous solution by fly ash and slag. Cem Concr Res 30:823

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arjunan B, Karuppan M (2012) Advanced oxidation of phenol: a comparison between Fenton, electro-Fenton, sono-electro-Fenton and photo-electro-Fenton processes. Chem Eng J 183:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson H, Aspegren H, Lee N (1997) Calcium phosphate precipitation in biological phosphorus removal systems. Water Res 31:1047–1055

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cho YM, Ji GW, Yoo PJ et al (2008) Comparison of electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation with fiber filters for water treatment. Korean J Chem Eng 25(6):1326–1330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chu JY, Li YR (2012) Experimental study on the ultrasound enhanced electro-coagulation for treatment of car-washing wastewater. Environ Pollut Control 34(3):1–3

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clark T, Stephenson T, Pearce PA (1997) Phosphorus removal by chemical precipitation in a biological aerated filter. Water Res 31:2557–2563

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding Y, Pu YP, Yin LH et al (2009) Parameters optimization of ultrasound algae removal technology and bloom removal study in Taihu Lake. J Southeast Univ (Nat Sci Ed) 39(2):354–358

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng R (1993) Ultrasonic manual. Medical Science and Technology, Beijing, pp 21–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Golder AK, Samanta AN, Ray S (2007) Removal of trivalent chromium by electrocoagulation. Sep Purif Technol 53:33–41

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gutierrez O, Park DH, Sharma KR et al (2010) Iron salts dosage for sulfide control in sewers induces chemical phosphorus removal during wastewater treatment. Water Res 44:3467–3475

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • John HG, Henrique H, Ramin F et al (2009) Effects of ultrasound on suspended particles in municipal wastewater. Water Res 43:2251–2259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kan WJ, Zhang QF, Hu YZ et al (2010) Preliminary analysis on the state of organic pollution and eutrophication in Bohai Bay. Mar Sci Bull 29(2):172–175

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li YG, Li ZK, Geng YH et al (2006) Effect of N, P concentration on growth rate and biomass of phytoplankton in eutrophical water. Acta Ecol Sin 26(2):317–325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Gao DW, Liang H et al (2012) Phosphorus removal characteristics of granular and flocculent sludge in SBR. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 94:231–236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miao J, Fu DX, Lu XJ (2005) Degradation of phenol in wastewater by ultrasound/titanium-iron double-anodes electric catalysis oxidation system. J China Coal Soc 30(5):652–655

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiu XX, Ding Y, Yin LH et al (2009) Influential factors of PTA simulated wastewater ultrasound-ozone treatment. J Southeast Univ (Nat Sci Ed) 39(2):359–362

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu ML, Wang L, Xue JJ et al (2010) Kinetics of the removal of phosphorus by ultrasound-assisted electro-coagulation. Acta Sci Circunstantiae 30(3):519–523

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rui YN, Wang MD, Liu JP et al (2006) Study on the mechanism of using supersonic decomposition to process the high density, hard to be degraded organic waste water. J Soochow Univ (Eng Sci Ed) 26(4):1–6

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Şahset I, Nuhi D, Yalcln SY (2006a) The effects of pH on phosphate removal from wastewater by electrocoagulation with iron plate electrodes. J Hazard Mater B 137:1231–1235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Şahset I, Yalcln SY, Vahdettin T (2006b) Optimization of phosphate removal from wastewater by electrocoagulation with aluminum plate electrodes. Sep Purif Technol 52:394–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shang X, Wang XZ, Wang ML et al (2009) Research on electrolysis treatment of high strength phosphate wastewater. Wat Purif Technol 28(1):43–46

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Su C, Shen ZL, Yao Y et al (2008) Assessment of eutrophication in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent waters. Adv Water Sci 19(1):99–105

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suntud S, Suriyakit Y (2006) Application of a new type of moving bio-film in aerobic sequencing batch reactor (aerobic-SBR). J Env Manag 78:149–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valeria K, Marin D (1999) Sono-electrocoagulation of iron hydroxides. Colloids Surf, A Physicochem Eng Asp 149:603–608

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vinay R, Ali A (2008) Experimental investigations on ultrasound mediated particle breakage. Ultrason Sonochem 15:55–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang RL, Li YL, Lin Y (2005) Advance in the research on synthetic perfume wastewater treatment process. Ind Water Treat 25(8):9–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang XL, Peng YZ, Wang SY (2006) Influence of wastewater composition on nitrogen and phosphorus removal and process control in A2O process. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 28:397–404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang XY, Tang LN, Liu ZW et al (2012) Formation mechanism of cyanobacteria bloom in lake reservoir. CIESC J 63(5):1492–1497

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Water Quality (1990) Determination of total phosphorus-ammonium molybdate method. National Environmental Protection Agency, Beijing

  • Yang LP, Yan ZM (2008) Study on degradation of phenol in water by H2O2 with ultrasound. Sichuan Chem Ind 11(2):50–53

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yue B, Ma MH, Tao Y et al (2005) Studying on treatment of dyeing wastewater by DC electrocoagulation method. High Voltage Eng 31(10):49–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng XY, Yan L, Ye HR et al (2010) Progress on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater by electrocoagulation methods. Technol Water Treat 36(1):20–24

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu GW (2008) Eutrophic status and causing factors for a large, shallow and subtropical Lake Taihu. China J Lake Sci 20(1):21–26

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu B, Clifford DA, Chellam S (2005) Comparison of electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation pretreatment for enhanced virus removal using microfiltration membranes. Water Res 39:3098–3108

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu MY, Zhu GW, Zhao LL (2012) Influence of algal bloom degradation on nutrient release at the sediment–water interface in Lake Taihu, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res. doi:10.1007/s11356-012-1084-9

Download references

Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to the research projects of Environmental Protection Department of Jiangsu Province, PRC, for providing financial support with grant no. 201133. Authors are also grateful to those who gave help in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China

    Jiangping Li, Chen Song, Yixin Su, Hai Long, Trokon Omarley Yeabah & Wei Wu

  2. School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China

    Jiangping Li & Hai Long

  3. Jiangsu Dakang Co., LTD, Yangzhou, 211900, People’s Republic of China

    Ta Huang

Authors
  1. Jiangping Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chen Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yixin Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hai Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ta Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Trokon Omarley Yeabah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Wei Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wei Wu.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Hailong Wang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, J., Song, C., Su, Y. et al. A study on influential factors of high-phosphorus wastewater treated by electrocoagulation–ultrasound. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 5397–5404 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1537-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1537-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation