Electrospark Method in Galvanic Wastewater Treatment for Heavy Metal Removal

Abstract

The objective of this research is to improve water treatment use of the electric spark method. Studies on the treatment of multicomponent galvanic effluent by the electric spark method using metal loading (Fe, Al) and low-voltage (up to 1000 V) equipment have been carried out. The factors that have the largest influence on the degree of galvanic wastewaters purification are the conditions and parameters of the discharge pulse—an efficiency of approximately 0.8–0.85 has a specific energy, which at moderate concentrations of pollutants can be less than 65 kJ/dm3 (18 kWh/m3)—and the metal loading height. Other variable technological parameters can serve either as scaling tools or as methods for regulating the operation of electrical equipment. The research shows that the degree of purification depends on the specific energy and the height of the metal loading of the reactor, and it weakly depends on the pulse energy and the speed of its input. The concentrations of heavy metals (Zn2+, Cr6++Cr3+, Cu2+) in the treated water are significantly lower than their maximal permissible concentrations. The electric spark method allows us to achieve highly efficient results of wastewater treatment from heavy metals.