Abstract
The rapid industrial development and population growth increase the utilization of fresh water resulting in an increase of the amount of wastewater. Several Countries face a double challenge with regard to water resources, namely meeting the growing need for water for the population and treating the wastewater generated for application. The toxicity found in these water streams threatens the environment and human health. Hence the urgent need is to treat wastewater. The DRC is not immune from this threat. Its average population growth rate has exceeded the 3% and the number of industries it hosts continues to increase. The wastewater generated by this increasing pressure from urbanization and industrialization must be treated as required in the Congolese legal arsenal. Various factors need to be considered prior choosing the water treatment method. The choice must take into account the imperatives of the moment which are: modernization (local context) and sustainable development (international context). There are several wastewater treatments that are widely used for the removal of toxic elements such as ion exchange, reverse osmosis, chemical precipitation and electro-coagulation just to name a few. The most recent studies have shown that the galvanic technique can be used in the purification of water from domestic and industrial origin to meet drinking water standards. Various researchers have used this technique at laboratory and pilot scale demonstrating its cost-effectiveness as it uses no chemical reagents, consumes less energy and occupies only a small space for processing large flows. However, there are very few studies demonstrating the success of this treatment on an industrial scale. Therefore, this work seeks to understand and master the mechanisms that take place in the galvanic treatment. In addition, this study focuses on the development of a robust prototype that is adaptable to the needs of various users while at the same time being relatively cheap to meet the national needs.
Highlights
The importance of water for life is well established
Several Countries face a double challenge with regard to water resources, namely meeting the growing need for water for the population and treating the wastewater generated for application
The objective of this article is to present the galvanic treatment of industrial wastewater and to show how this technique can be developed to treat wastewater loaded with heavy metals and suspended matter
Summary
The importance of water for life is well established. Water is both a living environment for the aquatic system, a drink for living beings and a raw material for industry. Surface water is the most accessible and consists of rivers, seas and dams and accounts for only around 1%. They contain suspended solids; they are cloudy and difficult to settle. Groundwater accounts for approximately 23% of all water reserves; they are not cloudy and generally do not contain microbes. They are clear, odorless and contain mineral salts. In the third and last form we find atmospheric waters (rain, dew, snow) They contain dust and dissolved gases, and do not contain the mineral salts necessary for living organisms [2]
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