Performance of an electrocoagulation-flotation system in the treatment of domestic wastewater for urban reuse

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 29; no. 32; pp. 49439 - 49456
• Main Authors: Bracher, Gustavo Holz, Carissimi, Elvis, Wolff, Delmira Beatriz, Glusczak, Andressa Gabriela, Graepin, Cristiane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-07-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aluminum; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Chemical oxygen demand; Correlation analysis; Domestic wastewater; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Electrocoagulation; Electrodes; Electrolysis; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Flotation; Hydrochloric acid; Orthophosphate; Performance evaluation; Sewage; Sewage treatment; Short Research and Discussion Article; Sludge; Treated sewage; Turbidity; Waste Water Technology; Wastewater treatment; Water availability; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water scarcity; Waste production; Electrochemical treatment; Correlation analysis; Sanitation; Water reuse; Input demand; Domestic sewage; Wastewater treatment
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20630-2

Domestic wastewater is an important alternative source of water in the face of a growing discrepancy between water availability and demand. The use of techniques that enable the urban reuse of treated sewage is essential to make cities more sustainable and resilient to water scarcity. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of an electrocoagulation-flotation system in the treatment of domestic wastewater for urban reuse. The study was performed using raw domestic wastewater samples. The electrocoagulation-flotation system was a cylindrical reactor with aluminum electrodes. The treatment conditions involved agitation at 262.5 rpm, electrical current of 1.65 A, electrolysis time of 25 min, an initial pH of 6, and inter-electrode distance of 1 cm. Overall, the electrocoagulation-flotation system was highly efficient for removal of apparent color (97.9%), chemical oxygen demand (82.9%), turbidity (95.8%), and orthophosphate phosphorous (> 98.2%). The electrocoagulation-flotation system had a consumption of electrical energy ranging from 9.5 to 13.3 kWh m
−3
, electrode mass from 294.7 to 557.0 g m
−3
, and hydrochloric acid from 4.3 to 6.6 L m
−3
. Sludge production in the system ranged from 1,125.7 to 1,835.7 g m
−3
. Treated wastewater had a satisfactory quality for several urban reuse activities. The electrocoagulation-flotation system showed potential to be used for domestic wastewater treatment for urban reuse purposes.