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

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 CaCO3 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/m3 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.