Performance of Two Reactors Used to Remove Silica from Water with Electrogenerated Al(OH)3

Abstract

Two reactors were tested to generate Al3+, that quickly form Al(OH)3 used to remove dissolved silica. Reactor (A) has parallel plates with a vertical zig-zag hydraulic path; this configuration has the disadvantage of important load lost due to the opposition between a going down water flux and the electrochemically generated gas bubbles naturally moving up in some regions. Reactor (B) consisted on an alternating arrangement of a reaction camera with only ascendant flow of water, followed by a chamber designed for water drop. The reaction zone, where bubbles generate is the same where the water moves up. Reactor (B) saves energy and had a better performance for equivalent conditions when compared with reactor (A) to remove silica.