The Experimental Design Approach to Removal of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds from Domestic Wastewater by Electrooxidation Process

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the treatment performance of the process in the removal of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) from domestic wastewater by a laboratory-scale electrooxidation process using Ti/IrO₂/RuO₂ electrodes as an anode was evaluated using response surface method (RSM). The effect of pH, current density, and flow rate on the electrochemical treatment of 17α-ethinylestradiol, β-estradiol, triclosan, and estrone, which are often present in wastewater, has been studied. Using Box-Behnken Design (BBD), the parameters influencing the removal efficiencies were optimized for the Electrooxidation process (EOP), and the models created essential second-order quadratic models for the EOP process. The Response Surface Method yielded results that reasonably agreed with the measured values. The maximum removals of triclosan, 17α-ethinylestradiol, and β-estradiol were attained at 92,90%, 97,76%, and 95,36% respectively, under experimental conditions optimized pH= 3,68, current density= 20 A and flow rate= 8,83 mL/min for EOP. Removal efficiencies have achieved their maximum levels at low pH, high current density, and low flow rate. At the same time, the electrooxidation method could not completely remove the estrone.