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The Water-Energy Nexus: Electrocoagulation and Energy Conservation

Received: 17 July 2017     Accepted: 15 May 2018     Published: 18 May 2018
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Abstract

Electrocoagulation is a multiple-purpose process re-emerging nowadays as a low-energy solution to water treatment and pollution control problems. This paper describes the development of electrocoagulation-flocculation (ECF) treatment processes of water and wastewater that could be a potential hydrogen gas source and reduce operational costs as well. ECF coupling with ultrafiltration (UF) for organics removal and flux enhancement and, with granular filtration (GF) and constructed wetland (CW) for P removal from secondary effluents are examined. Bench-scale experiments of ECF-UF and ECF-UF configurations and ECF-GF-CW pilot tests had been performed. Analysis of ECF mechanisms leads to energy conservation potential via (a) hydrogen co-generation, (b) low voltage application, (c) reduced chemicals transportation (which is also helpful in less developed cold areas where and when roads are blocked) and (d) hybridization with other low energy treatment processes such as constructed wetlands or SAT. A model developed for energy minimization is found to play a major role in process selection. It is also concluded that ECF as pretreatment for UF and MF improved filtrate quality and reduced the fouling, particularly by reducing cake influence. And, complementing CW treatment with a physicochemical process of ECF reduces soluble and particulate phosphate, and removes organic matter and nitrogen compounds.

Published in Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science (Volume 7, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11
Page(s) 15-19
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Electrocoagulation, Electroflocculation, Tertiary Treatment, Hydrogen Co-Generation, Water-Energy Nexus, Membrane Pretreatment

References
[1] Mollah M. Y. A., Schennach R., Parga, J. R. & Cocke, D. L. (2001). Electrocoagulation (EC) - science and applications. Journal of Hazardous Materials, B84 29-41.
[2] Mahesh S., B. Prasad, I. D. Mall and I. M. Mishra. 2006. Electrochemical degradation of pulp and paper mill wastewater. Part 1. COD and Color Removal. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 45 (8), 2830-2839.
[3] Monser L. and Adhoum N. 2004. Decolourization and removal of phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater by electrocoagulation. Separation and Purification Technology 38 (3) 233-239.
[4] Ben-Sasson M. and Adin A. (2013). Enhanced removal of natural organic matter by hybrid process of electrocoagulation and dead-end microfiltration. Chemical Engineering Journal, 232, 338-345.
[5] Meunier N., Drogui P., Montan´e C., Hausler R., Mercier G. and Blais F. G. 2006. Comparison between electrocoagulation and chemical precipitation for metals removal from acidic soil leachate. Journal of Hazardous Materials 137(1) 581–590.
[6] Gao P., Chen X., Shen F. and Chen G., 2005. Removal of chromium(VI) from wastewater by combined electrocoagulation – electroflotation without a filter. Separation and Purification Technology 43 117–123.
[7] Harif T. and Adin A. (2007). Characteristics of aggregates formed by electroflocculation of a colloidal suspension. Water Research, 41(13): 2951-2961.
[8] Harif T., Khai M. and Adin A. (2012). Electrocoagulation versus chemical coagulation: coagulation/flocculation mechanisms and resulting floc characteristics. Water Research 46(10) 3177-88.
[9] Sun J., Hu C., Tong T., Zhao K., Qu J., Liu H. and Elimelech M. (2017) Performance and Mechanisms of Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling Mitigation by Coupling Coagulation and Applied Electric Field in a Novel Electrocoagulation Membrane Reactor. Environmental Science and Technology 51, 8544−8551
[10] Egozy Y. (1996). Water recirculation through biological filter for coastal streams rehabilitation in Israel. MSc thesis, The Hebrew University of Israel and Tel-Aviv University (in Hebrew).
[11] Berenstein R., Chen Y. and Adin, A. (2007). Electrocoagulation of humic acid and its effect on membrane fouling reduction. IWA Particle Separation Conference, Amsterdam.
[12] Hu, C., Sun, J., Wang, S., Liu, R., Liu, H. and Qu, J. (2017). Enhanced efficiency in HA removal by electrocoagulation through optimizing flocs properties: Role of current density and pH. Separation and Purification Technology 175, 248−254.
[13] Ben-Sasson M. and Adin A. (2010). Fouling mitigation by iron-based electroflocculation in microfiltration: mechanisms and energy minimization, Water Research 44 3973-3981.
[14] Sanyal O., Liu Z., Yu J., Meharg B. M., Hong J. S., Liao W. and Lee I. (2016). Designing fouling-resistant clay-embedded polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes for wastewater effluent treatment. Journal of Membrane Science 512, 21-28.
[15] Adin A. and Vescan N. (2002). Electroflocculation for particle destabilization and aggregation for municipal water and wastewater treatment. Proc. American Chemical Society 42(2) 537-541.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Avner Adin. (2018). The Water-Energy Nexus: Electrocoagulation and Energy Conservation. Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science, 7(2), 15-19. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11

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    ACS Style

    Avner Adin. The Water-Energy Nexus: Electrocoagulation and Energy Conservation. J. Water Resour. Ocean Sci. 2018, 7(2), 15-19. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11

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    AMA Style

    Avner Adin. The Water-Energy Nexus: Electrocoagulation and Energy Conservation. J Water Resour Ocean Sci. 2018;7(2):15-19. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11,
      author = {Avner Adin},
      title = {The Water-Energy Nexus: Electrocoagulation and Energy Conservation},
      journal = {Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science},
      volume = {7},
      number = {2},
      pages = {15-19},
      doi = {10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wros.20180702.11},
      abstract = {Electrocoagulation is a multiple-purpose process re-emerging nowadays as a low-energy solution to water treatment and pollution control problems. This paper describes the development of electrocoagulation-flocculation (ECF) treatment processes of water and wastewater that could be a potential hydrogen gas source and reduce operational costs as well. ECF coupling with ultrafiltration (UF) for organics removal and flux enhancement and, with granular filtration (GF) and constructed wetland (CW) for P removal from secondary effluents are examined. Bench-scale experiments of ECF-UF and ECF-UF configurations and ECF-GF-CW pilot tests had been performed. Analysis of ECF mechanisms leads to energy conservation potential via (a) hydrogen co-generation, (b) low voltage application, (c) reduced chemicals transportation (which is also helpful in less developed cold areas where and when roads are blocked) and (d) hybridization with other low energy treatment processes such as constructed wetlands or SAT. A model developed for energy minimization is found to play a major role in process selection. It is also concluded that ECF as pretreatment for UF and MF improved filtrate quality and reduced the fouling, particularly by reducing cake influence. And, complementing CW treatment with a physicochemical process of ECF reduces soluble and particulate phosphate, and removes organic matter and nitrogen compounds.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20180702.11
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    JF  - Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science
    JO  - Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science
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    AB  - Electrocoagulation is a multiple-purpose process re-emerging nowadays as a low-energy solution to water treatment and pollution control problems. This paper describes the development of electrocoagulation-flocculation (ECF) treatment processes of water and wastewater that could be a potential hydrogen gas source and reduce operational costs as well. ECF coupling with ultrafiltration (UF) for organics removal and flux enhancement and, with granular filtration (GF) and constructed wetland (CW) for P removal from secondary effluents are examined. Bench-scale experiments of ECF-UF and ECF-UF configurations and ECF-GF-CW pilot tests had been performed. Analysis of ECF mechanisms leads to energy conservation potential via (a) hydrogen co-generation, (b) low voltage application, (c) reduced chemicals transportation (which is also helpful in less developed cold areas where and when roads are blocked) and (d) hybridization with other low energy treatment processes such as constructed wetlands or SAT. A model developed for energy minimization is found to play a major role in process selection. It is also concluded that ECF as pretreatment for UF and MF improved filtrate quality and reduced the fouling, particularly by reducing cake influence. And, complementing CW treatment with a physicochemical process of ECF reduces soluble and particulate phosphate, and removes organic matter and nitrogen compounds.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 2
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Author Information
  • Department of Soil and Water Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel

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