Removal of Sulfate by Electrocoagulation With Discontinuous Electrodes in a Continuous System Publisher



Mohammadzadeh N¹ ; Dahrazma B¹ ; Saghravani SF¹ ; Mohsenzadeh P¹ ; Mahvi AH^{2, 3} Show Affiliations
Source: Desalination and Water Treatment Published:2020

Abstract

This study aimed to remove sulfate from water solution through electrocoagulation, using multiple electrodes in a continuous flow system. Moreover, the effect of important parameters, including sce-narios for voltages applying to electrodes, flow rate, primary sulfate concentration, and pH on the sulfate removal process was evaluated. The experimental reactor was a rectangular box of 20 × 10 × 6, all in cm. The electrodes were plates of grade 1050 aluminum. The highest sulfate removal was 87% that occurred at a voltage of 30 V and 10 mL/min of flow rate (retention time = 135 min) at pH = 5.5, when the initial concentration of sulfate was 500 mg/L. The highest sulfate removal rate in non-uniform voltage configuration was observed in the arrangement of 10, 20, and 30 V (upstream, middle, and downstream, respectively) during 135 min for 10 mL/min flow rate. On the other hand, the economic assessment revealed that the lowest amount of electrical energy consumed for removal of one mg/g of sulfate occurs at a 10 V uniform voltage among the electrodes. The results showed that the electroco-agulation technique could successfully be applied to continuous flow systems to remove sulfate from aquatic environments. © 2020 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.