Emana Bilisa Bulti, Bulge Tsehay Bulti
Department of Chemical Engineering, Wollega University, Shambu Campus, Shambu, Ethiopia.
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Wollega University, Shambu Campus, Shambu, Ethiopia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 2;15(1):28244. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07929-z.
Inappropriate wastewater discharge from municipalities causes eutrophication, degraded water quality, and possible risks to the environment. The present study was conducted to determine the efficiency of the electrocoagulation (EC) using integrated electrodes (Al-Al, Fe-Fe and Al-Fe) for nutrient removal from municipal wastewater. In this experimental study, the effect of current density (20, 60, and 80 A/m) and operating time (5, 60, and 90 min) with constant pH 7, electrode distance 0.2 cm, and voltage 30 V using aluminum and iron electrodes was investigated on removal efficiencies of nutrients such as Nitrate Nitrogen (NO -N), Ammonia Nitrogen (NH -N), and orthophosphate (PO -P). The experimental set mainly consists of a glass beaker of 2 L as a reactor to hold a sample of 1.5 L, a direct current power supply, and aluminum electrodes with dimensions of 6 cm × 8 cm × 0.6 cm (width, length, and thickness) with an active surface area of 48 cm2. The highest treatment efficiency occurred at an operating time of 90 min and 80 A/m current density, which resulted in 95.59% nitrate nitrogen, 97.56% ammonia nitrogen, and 96.74% orthophosphate for the Al-Al electrode; 96.08% nitrate nitrogen, 98.54% ammonia nitrogen, and 97.78% orthophosphate for the Fe-Fe electrode; and 95.83% nitrate nitrogen, 98.05% ammonia nitrogen, and 97.31% orthophosphate for the Al-Fe electrode, respectively. This means that when current density increases and operating time increases, then the pollutant removal efficiency of electrocoagulation technology becomes high performance. The results showed that electrocoagulation technology using an iron electrode is an effective method for removing nutrients from municipal wastewater. The study findings contribute to an integrated electrode offering a viable route to more economical, sustainable and effective nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater, which would ultimately improve water quality and save the environment.
城市污水的不当排放会导致富营养化、水质恶化以及对环境的潜在风险。本研究旨在确定使用集成电极（铝-铝、铁-铁和铝-铁）的电凝聚（EC）技术从城市污水中去除营养物质的效率。在这项实验研究中，研究了在pH值恒定为7、电极间距为0.2厘米、电压为30伏的条件下，使用铝电极和铁电极时，电流密度（20、60和80 A/m）和运行时间（5、60和90分钟）对硝酸盐氮（NO₃-N）、氨氮（NH₃-N）和正磷酸盐（PO₄-P）等营养物质去除效率的影响。实验装置主要由一个2升的玻璃烧杯作为反应器，用于容纳1.5升的样品、一个直流电源以及尺寸为6厘米×8厘米×0.6厘米（宽、长、厚）、有效表面积为48平方厘米的铝电极组成。最高处理效率出现在运行时间为90分钟、电流密度为80 A/m时，此时铝-铝电极对硝酸盐氮的去除率为95.59%、氨氮为97.56%、正磷酸盐为96.74%；铁-铁电极对硝酸盐氮的去除率为96.08%、氨氮为98.54%、正磷酸盐为97.78%；铝-铁电极对硝酸盐氮的去除率为95.83%、氨氮为98.05%、正磷酸盐为97.31%。这意味着当电流密度增加且运行时间增加时，电凝聚技术对污染物的去除效率会提高。结果表明，使用铁电极的电凝聚技术是从城市污水中去除营养物质的有效方法。该研究结果有助于集成电极提供一条可行的途径，以更经济、可持续和有效地从城市污水中去除氮，这最终将改善水质并保护环境。
