Removal Mechanism and Effective Current of Electrocoagulation for Treating Wastewater Containing Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cr(VI)

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the removal mechanism and to calculate the effective current of electrocoagulation (i.e., EC) for treating wastewater containing Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cr(VI). The adsorption behavior of various heavy metals onto Al(OH)3 coagulant generated by the EC process was investigated and the estimating method of the corresponding current was established. Results indicate that adsorption of single Ni(II) and Cu(II) by Al(OH)3 coagulant can be simulated by the Langmuir isotherm, while Cr(VI) adsorption fits the Freundlich isotherm better. As treating single heavy metal of wastewater, the removal mechanism of the EC process is the adsorption reaction. Under the coexisting condition, the Ni(II) and Cu(II) will compete for the same active sites on the Al(OH)3 surface and Cu(II) suppresses Ni(II) adsorption. As treating the coexisting heavy metals, Ni(II) removal not only associates with adsorption but also with the coprecipitation. In contrast, Cr(VI) does not compete with other metal ions for the same type of adsorption sites. Whether single or coexisting conditions, the adsorption capacity of heavy metals onto Al(OH)3 coagulants can be used to compute the necessary current to effectively remove heavy metals in the EC system.