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ENIVRONMENT ASIA


Volume 13, No. 03, Month SEPTEMBER, Year 2020, Pages 13 - 25


Arsenic removal using electro-coagulation: suitable electrode selection

Nil Sadhan Mondal, Saurabh Kumar Basak, Pankaj Kumar Roy, Arunabha Majumder, and Asis Mazumder


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Arsenic contamination in groundwater and its consequences to the human health has been reported as one of the world’s biggest natural groundwater calamity to the mankind. People in these aff ected states have chronically exposed to drinking Arsenic contaminated hand tube-wells water. One of the urgent steps towards mitigation of arsenic contamination in groundwater is supply of arsenic free or arsenic safe water. The main objective of this study was selection of suitable electrode for effi cient removal of arsenic from groundwater using the method of electrocoagulation, which is a useful technique of contaminant removal. The batch mode experiments were carried out in rectangular glass cell, using diff erent electrode combination of locally available materials such as mild steel (MS), aluminium (Al) and stainless steel (SS). The anode-cathode electrode combinations were MS-SS, MS-MS, MSAl, Al-MS, Al-Al and Al-SS. These critical examinations had been performed under diff erent operating condition including varying inter electrode distance, current, electrical charge loading and As (III) to As (V) ratio. The others parameters on treated water such as Fe, pH and TDS also investigated. MS anode showed 81 - 95% As removal, performed signifi cantly well as compared to Al anode with 21 - 27% As removal for similar conditions. MS-SS was more effi cient than MS-MS and MS-Al for higher arsenite to arsenate ratio. Decreasing of inter electrode distance increased arsenic removal and energy consumption. In treated water, the concentration of Fe, pH, TDS varied 0.414 - 0.057 mg/L, 7.42 - 7.60, and 391 - 413 mg/L, respectively. Fe and TDS concentration decreased whereas pH increased from initial value.


Keywords

Arsenic removal; Drinking water; Electrocoagulation; Electrode; Toxicity



ENIVRONMENT ASIA


Published by : Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment
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