Evaluation of the Performance of the Electrocoagulation Process for the Removal of Water Hardness

Juan Taumaturgo Medina-Collana (), Gladis Enith Reyna-Mendoza, Jorge Alberto Montaño-Pisfil, Jimmy Aurelio Rosales-Huamani, Elmar Javier Franco-Gonzales and Xavier Córdova García
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Juan Taumaturgo Medina-Collana: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, National University of Callao, Juan Pablo II 306 Avenue, Bellavista 07011, Peru
Gladis Enith Reyna-Mendoza: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, National University of Callao, Juan Pablo II 306 Avenue, Bellavista 07011, Peru
Jorge Alberto Montaño-Pisfil: Faculty of Chemical Engineering, National University of Callao, Juan Pablo II 306 Avenue, Bellavista 07011, Peru
Jimmy Aurelio Rosales-Huamani: Multidisciplinary Sensing, Universal Accessibility and Machine Learning Group, Faculty of Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering of the National University of Engineering, Lima 15333, Peru
Elmar Javier Franco-Gonzales: Multidisciplinary Sensing, Universal Accessibility and Machine Learning Group, Faculty of Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering of the National University of Engineering, Lima 15333, Peru
Xavier Córdova García: Faculty of Geological Engineering, National University of San Marcos, Av. Republic of Venezuela, Lima 15081, Peru

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: One of the biggest problems of water with high concentrations of calcium is its susceptibility to causing scaling in industrial equipment (boilers, heat exchangers, pipes, reverse osmosis membranes, storage tanks, etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a recently built filter press (EC) type electrocoagulation reactor and investigate the efficiency of water hardness removal. The electrocoagulation (EC) reactor has been evaluated in batch mode using electrodes of aluminum (Al) and connected to a direct current power supply in a monopolar way. To evaluate the performance of the reactor, a synthetic solution with a concentration similar to that of brackish water was used. A factorial design was applied to investigate the influence of the electrical potential applied to the electrocoagulation cell at the levels of 3, 5, 7, and 9 V, and initial calcium hardness of 540.2 and 914.60 mg/L CaCO 3 at room temperature in 60 treatment minutes. The results revealed that the electrical potential applied to the electrocoagulation cell was the most significant factor in hardness removal, within the experimental ranges studied. The results showed that electrocoagulation at an electric potential applied at 9 volts and an initial concentration of 7400 mg/L allowed a higher hardness removal efficiency (25.83%). the pH of the solution increased throughout the process. The energy consumption ranged between 4.43 and 42 kW.h/m 3 depending on the conditions of the factors. It has been shown that during the treatment process a layer of dense and compact calcium carbonate precipitate is formed on the surface of the cathode.

Keywords: electrocoagulation; hardness removal; factorial design of experiment; brackish water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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