Abstract
Electrocoagulation (EC) was examined as a pre-treatment to the microfiltration (MF) of oily emulsions within the metalworking industry. The aim of this pre-treatment was to improve the MF performance in terms of flux decline and removal of oil by applying the minimum time of EC pre-treatment. Aluminium electrodes were used in EC, and flat sheet-regenerated cellulose membrane in MF. The experiments were carried out using cutting-oil emulsions at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0% (v/v)) and conductivity of about 700 μS cm−1. Drop size and zeta potential distributions were carried out to evaluate the impacts of EC time on zeta potential and average particle size. We found that in all emulsions, 10 min of EC made the average size of oil particles bigger than the average size of the pores in MF and substantially reduced pore clogging and irreversible fouling. Reduced flux decline was related to the continuous formation of Al(OH)3 in EC that interconnected the colloidal oil particles into porous and irregularly shaped flocs which formed highly porous cake layer on the membrane surface.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
