Integrated electrodes for the nutrient removal from municipal wastewater using electrocoagulation technology.

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.