Treatment of Grey Water Using Electrochemical Methods: A Comparison between Combined Electrocoagulation and Electrooxidation

Abstract

To treat grey water, a comparison of combined electrocoagulation (EC) and electrooxidation (EO) treatment techniques was done. Under the influence of operation factors such as beginning pH, time, current density, and type of electrode; the effectiveness of EO and EC to remove total hardness, calcium, magnesium, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total dissolved substances (TDS) from grey water were investigated. In the EC method, the result obtained for removal efficiencies of calcium (72.3%), magnesium (85.5%), COD (84.7%), nitrate (80%) and TDS (41.4%) using aluminium electrodes. EO is investigated using Carbon/Lead Oxide and Lead /Lead Oxide electrodes. The removal efficiencies of Carbon/Lead Oxide are calcium (81.9%), magnesium (85.4%), COD (83.6%), nitrate (72.4%) and TDS (39.1%). The removal efficiencies to Lead /Lead Oxide electrodes are calcium (72.9%), magnesium (81.1%), COD (80.6%), nitrate (74 %) and TDS (41.7%). The quality of treated greywater in EC and EO experiments is within the acceptable limits for magnesium, calcium, COD, TDS, pH and nitrates.