Simultaneous Electrocoagulation and Electrochemical Oxidation for Removing Natural Organic Materials from Water

In this research, an anode was developed to remove humic substances in water using simultaneous electrocoagulation (EC) and electrochemical oxidation (EO). The anode was modified by electroplating copper on aluminium rods. Synthetic water samples consisting of humic acid were tested for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal efficiency. A DOC removal efficiency of > 99.9% was achieved by the Al/Cu anode under the reaction time of 60 min at a 10 mA/cm2 current density, which was an increase of 54.8% compared to the Al anode. A similar study using a non-modified Cu anode exhibited a removal efficiency of 20.8%, a further decrease of 54.0% compared to the Al anode. In addition, the energy consumption of 18 kWh/m3 was recorded by the Al anode, while the Al/Cu anode only consumed 13 kWh/m3. Finally, natural water samples obtained from the Padaviya, Sri Lanka, were tested for DOC removal, which removed 80.4%, and 44.6% of DOC by the Al/Cu anode and the Al anode, respectively. The copper and aluminium leaching into the effluent and the sludge were also analysed. The findings suggest that both EC and EO processes simultaneously contribute to the high removal of NOM when using the novel anode in the electrochemical cell.