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Treatment of paper-recycling wastewater by electrocoagulation using aluminum and iron electrodes

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Abstract

Treatment of industrial wastewater by electrocoagulation (EC) is one of the most efficient methods to remove pollutants. Paper-recycling wastewater is a complex mixture containing toxic and recalcitrant substances, indicating complexity and difficulty of its treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of paper-recycling wastewater treatment by EC process using aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) plate electrodes. Removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), color and ammonia from paper-recycling mill effluent was evaluated at various electrolysis times (10–60 min), voltage (4–13 V) and pH (3.5–11). The optimum process conditions for the maximum removal of COD, TSS, color and ammonia from paper-recycling industry wastewater have been found to be pH value of 7, treatment time of 60 min and voltage of 10 V. Under optimum operating conditions, the removal capacities of COD, TSS, color and ammonia were 79.5%, 83.4%, 98.5% and 85.3%, respectively. It can be concluded that EC could be considered as an effective alternative for treatment of paper-recycling wastewater.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by grant No: 950704 of the Biotechnology Development Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, P.O.B. 484, Babol, Iran

    Ali Izadi, Morteza Hosseini & Ghasem Najafpour Darzi

  2. Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Gholamreza Nabi Bidhendi

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Farshid Pajoum Shariati

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  1. Ali Izadi
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  2. Morteza Hosseini
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Correspondence to Morteza Hosseini.

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Izadi, A., Hosseini, M., Najafpour Darzi, G. et al. Treatment of paper-recycling wastewater by electrocoagulation using aluminum and iron electrodes. J Environ Health Sci Engineer 16, 257–264 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-018-0314-6

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