Electrocoagulation-H₂O₂-dimethicone combined system for COD reduction and phosphate removal of sewage wastewater

¹ School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering and Sciences, Mapúa University, Muralla St., Intramuros, Manila, Philippines 1002
² Water Quality and Wastewater Research Laboratory, Mapúa University, Muralla St., Intramuros, Manila, Philippines 1002

^* Corresponding author: kathliadcastro@gmail.com

Abstract

Sewage wastewater contains large volume of pollutants and its discharge pose a serious environmental problem due to possible ground water contamination. This could be treated by electrocoagulation (EC) because of its proven effectiveness in treating different pollutants from various industries, however, this technology is not yet fully optimized. Process enhancements through chemical dosing were investigated in this study wherein electrocoagulation H₂O₂ dimethicone combined treatment was considered for the reduction of COD and removal of phosphate from an actual sewage wastewater source. Varying concentration of H₂O₂ and dimethicone was considered and it was found that at 1% H2O2 and 1% dimethicone, the phosphate removal of an EC system was improved from 83.06% to 100%. Likewise, the COD reduction increased from 68.25% to 82.89% after an hour of electrolysis time. Furthermore, using this blend, it reduced the settling time, minimized the electrode consumption and reduced froth height. Thus, the efficiency of the EC process improved using these additives.