Chemical Oxygen Demand Efficiency Research Articles

Penyisihan Polutan pada Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) Menggunakan Konsorsium Mikroalga-Bakteri dengan Sistem High Rate Algae Reactor (HRAR)

Palm oil mills in addition to producing crude palm oil also produce by-products in the form of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME). POME contains high amounts of organic ingredients and pollutants. One method that can be applied to treat POME is the High Rate Algae Reactor (HRAR) System. The HRAR system uses microalgae-bacterial consortium that has better performance in removing pollutants in POME and increasing the growth of microorganisms. This research aim by determining the effect of microalgae suspension concentration in the HRAR system towards the removal efficiency of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and total nitrogen. The research was conducted in batch in the HRAR system that equipped with a paddle wheel, by variations of microalgae suspension concentration as 0; 10; 15; 20; and 25 (% v/v). The research was carried out for 7 days and used the sun as a source of light. Based on the research results, 25% of microalgae suspension concentration has the highest microalgae cell density, was 6,34 x 106 cells/mL and showed the best removal efficiency of COD and total nitrogen, were 78.79% and 80.37%.

Enhanced biogas production from anaerobic digestion of wastewater from the fruit juice industry by sonolysis: experiments and modelling.

The aim of this study is to investigate the use of ultrasound pretreatment as potential technique to solubilize organic matter and fermentation of fruit juice effluents in anaerobic batch reactor. The efficacy of ultrasound pretreatment has been assessed at low frequency of 20 kHz and at different sonication times (20, 40 and 60 min). Compared with control, the amount of biogas produced increased by 47, 57 and 60% for sonication times of 20, 40 and 60 min, respectively. Methane content of the produced biogas was about 59% in the control and 64% in the case of effluent subjected to ultrasonication for 60 min. After 20 days of anaerobic digestion of the fruit juice effluents, the efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) increased by 9, 31 and 35% with respect to control for sonication times of 20, 40 and 60 min, respectively, corresponding to total sugars uptake efficiency of about 35, 51 and 54%, respectively. The modified Gompertz equation was used to describe the cumulative biogas production. A good agreement was found between simulated and experimental data.

Treatment of wastewater with high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio using a waterfall aeration biofilm reactor combined with sequencing batch reactor: Microbial community structure and metabolism analysis

A low-cost and high-efficiency waterfall aeration biofilm reactor (WABR) combined with a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was established to treat wastewater with a C/N ratio of 50. Three WABR-SBR systems with different fillers were used. In the stable operation phase, the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand was R1 (approximately 99%), R2 (97–99%), and R3 (96–99%); the effluent concentration of NH4+-N was 0.5 mg/L without nitrite or nitrate accumulation. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the dominant phyla in the microbial community structure were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Planctomycetes. Quantitative PCR was used to quantify the nitrification and denitrification gene expressions (Nitrobacter, nirS, and nirK) to evaluate the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification processes. Both anammox and denitrifying bacteria were abundant. Metagenomic annotation of genes that revealed the metabolic pathways of carbohydrates, amino acids, and the two dominant enzymes (GH and GT) provide valuable information for microbial ecology analysis.

Enhancing the treatment of petrochemical wastewater using redox mediator suspended biofilm carriers

The treatment efficiency of petrochemical wastewater via the traditional activated sludge process is generally unsatisfactory due to the complex and toxic features of petroleum compounds. Redox mediator (RM) can improve the biodegradation of organic contaminants by participating in the microbial extracellular electron transfer process. However, the continuous dosing of the soluble redox mediator would lead to secondary pollution and rise operation cost. In this study, an insoluble and economical redox mediator material (biochar) was introduced into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to prepare suspended biofilm carriers (RM-modified carriers), and applied in anaerobic/oxic (A/O) reactors. The reactor filled with RM-modified carriers (R3) showed the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phenol in the anaerobic zone were 34.6 % and 43.0 % respectively at organic loading rates (OLRs) of 22.2 kg COD/(m3·d), which increased by 6.8 % and 8.3 % respectively compared with that of the reactor filled with conventional HDPE carriers (R2), and increased by 12.4 % and 17.7 % respectively compared with that of the reactor without filled with carriers (R1). Microbial analysis proved that the relative abundance of Bacteroides that participated in electron transfer of R3 improved by approximately 6.3 % compared with that of R2. These findings demonstrated that RM-modified carriers improved the abundance of relevant functional bacteria and enhanced the degradation efficiency of the contaminants in petrochemical wastewater.

Microalgae for nutrient recycling from food waste to aquaculture as feed substitute: a promising pathway to eco‐friendly development

AbstractBACKGROUND: The discharge of food waste and eutrophication in aquaculture could cause environmental pollution and ecological disasters in the hydrosphere. Herein, a novel model of growing microalgae to recover nutrients from food waste and produce feed substitute for aquaculture is proposed.RESULTS: This study developed different methods to pretreat soybean fermentation effluent (SFE) and assessed the contribution of algal growth to nutrient recovery from SFE. Particularly, change of bacterial community was analyzed to explore the interaction between microalgae and bacteria in SFE remediation. In addition, the inclusion level of microalgae in fish diet was optimized and the effect of fresh microalgae on the aquaculture environment was studied. The results showed that unsterilized SFE with appropriate dilution is favorable for microalgal growth and biomass accumulation. Interaction between microalgae and acidogenic bacteria, including Prevotella sp., Acidaminococcus sp. and Lactobacillus sp., favored nutrient recovery from SFE. Removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total ammonia‐nitrogen in SFE reached 95.66%, 35.35%, 57.70% and 42.21%, respectively. As the optimal inclusion level of microalgae in fish diet was set as 25%, body length and weight of Micropterus salmoides increased by 13.85 mm and 1.73 g in 44‐day culture. It was also found that fresh microalgae added in fish diet could effectively keep the ammonia concentration in aquaculture system at a lower level.CONCLUSION: The implementation of this model will be of importance to circular economies integrating food waste remediation and eco‐friendly aquaculture. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Effects of exogenous GR24 on biogas upgrading and nutrient removal by co-culturing microalgae with fungi under mixed LED light wavelengths

To realize the synchronous purification of raw biogas and biogas slurry, the algal-fungal symbiont pellets were cultivated by supplementing strigolactone (GR24) under different mixed LED light wavelengths. The optimal light intensity was proved to be red and blue in the ratio of 5:5. The symbionts treated with 10−9 M GR24 had the highest growth rate and mean daily productivity. The extracellular carbonic anhydrase activity and the content of chlorophyll were also affected by GR24 concentrations and mixed light wavelengths. With the induction of 10−9 M GR24, the maximum removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus reached 76.35 ± 6.87%, 78.77 ± 7.13% and 79.49 ± 7.43%, respectively. Besides, the CO2 removal efficiency reached 59.32 ± 5.19% when the concentration of GR24 was 10−7 M. This work will be beneficial for large-scale biogas slurry purification and biogas upgrading using co-cultivation of microalgae and fungi.

Design and properties of Sn–Mn–Ce supported activated carbon composite as particle electrode for three-dimensionally electrochemical degradation of phenol

Three-dimensionally (3D) electrochemical oxidation, as an advanced oxidation technology for wastewater treatment, has been widely used due to its many advantages. Granular material filled between two-dimensional electrodes as particle electrode is one of the key factors for high treatment efficiency. In order to improve the catalytic activity of granular activated carbon (GAC) as particle electrode for phenol degradation, the multi-component catalysts were supported on GAC by coprecipitation–calcination method. The effect of the supported component, working parameters (initial pH, electrolyte concentration and usage voltage) on the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was investigated in detail. For the two-dimensional electrochemical oxidation, the COD removal efficiency is only 56.9% with only 32.0% of current efficiency. The COD removal rates for the 3D electrochemical oxidation with different particle electrodes are all greatly improved, especially for the Sn/Mn/Ce supported GAC. Its corresponding COD removal and current efficiency reach to about 75.6 and 72.6%, respectively. • Three-dimensionally electrochemical reactor was used to treat phenol wastewater. • Activated carbon with multicomponent catalysts was designed as particle electrode. • COD removal rates obviously became high by using multicomponent particle electrode. • Power consumption effectively decreased by using multicomponent particle electrode.

Bacterial and Microfauna Mechanisms for Sludge Reduction in Carrier-Enhanced Anaerobic Side-Stream Reactors Revealed by Metagenomic Sequencing Analysis.

Packing carriers into the anaerobic side-stream reactor (ASSR) can enhance sludge reduction and save footprint by investigating ASSR-coupled membrane bioreactors (AP-MBRs) under different hydraulic residence times of the ASSR (HRTSR). Three AP-MBRs and an anoxic-aerobic MBR (AO-MBR) showed efficient chemical oxygen demand (>94.2%) and ammonium nitrogen removal (>99.3%). AP-MBRs have higher (p < 0.05) total nitrogen (61.4-67.7%) and total phosphorus (57.5-63.8%) removal than AO-MBRs (47.8 and 47.7%). AP-MBRs achieved sludge reduction efficiencies of 11.8, 31.8, and 36.2% at HRTSR values of 2.5, 5.0, and 6.7 h. Packing carriers greatly improved sludge reduction under low HRTSR and is promising for accelerating sludge reduction in compact space. Metagenomic sequencing analysis showed that genes responsible for metabolism were enriched in AO-MBRs, while genes related to cellular motility and cell signaling were more abundant in the AP-MBRs. A longevity-regulating pathway showed that long lifespan provided more opportunities for worms to prey bacteria. Microscopic examination revealed that some specific protozoa (Arcella, Clathrulina, Aspidisca, Litonotus, Chiloclonella, and Vorticella) and metazoa (Rotaria and Aeolosoma hemprichi) were enriched in ASSRs. Aeolosoma hemprichi was only detected in ASSRs, and unique Cylops appeared on carriers. These results contribute to growing understanding of micrometabolic mechanisms including functional genes and microfauna-driving sludge reduction.

Simultaneous hydrogen sulfide removal and wastewater purification in a novel alum sludge-based odor-gas aerated biofilter

A novel alum sludge-based odor-gas aerated vertical flow biofilter (Al-OAF) was developed, which aims to removal the pollutants in wastewater and simultaneously to eliminate H2S generated from wastewater treatment facility. Three lab-scale parallel columns were operated in batch model while intermittently aerated with 200 ppm H2S (Al-OAF), air (Al-AF) and unaerated (Al-F, as blank), respectively. The pollutants in wastewater and the effluent H2S concentration from Al-OAF were monitored regularly. Results showed that three columns presented a high removal efficiency (>98%) of total phosphorus (TP) and a completed removal of H2S (100%) in Al-OAF. Al-OAF and Al-AF could enhance the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 94.3 ± 3.0, 94.8 ± 1.9%, and total nitrogen (TN) of 86.2 ± 14.2, 91.6 ± 5.4%, respectively. In particular, there was no significant difference regarding the COD, TN removal performances between the “H2S driven” Al-OAF and the “air driven” Al-AF. The H2S removal mechanism lies in the alum sludge ability of H2S adsorption and the reaction by the biofilm in the biofilter. This demonstrates that the novel Al-OAF (aerated with waste gas) would be a promising “wise choice” for intensified biofilter with dual-goals of simultaneous wastewater purification and H2S elimination.

Reuse of textile wastewater treated by moving bed biofilm reactor coupled with membrane bioreactor

AbstractA laboratory‐scale pilot plant of moving bed biofilm reactor coupled with membrane bioreactor (MBBR‐MBR) was studied with regard to wastewater treatment in the textile industry, and the reuse feasibility of treated water was investigated. The pilot plant comprised two connected parts: an aerobic tank filled with carriers and a submerged membrane tank. The MBBR‐MBR system reduced the hydraulic retention time to 1 day, which is very promising compared with conventional biological treatment in the textile industry. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand reached 93%, which is almost the maximum for a biological process treating this type of wastewater, as well as the colour removal performance, which achieved 85%. Additionally, 99% of total suspended solids were removed due to filtration. Furthermore, new dyeing processes reusing the treated water were performed. The quality of the new dyed fabrics with treated water was compared with reference fabrics. Colour differences between new dyed fabrics and reference fabrics were found to be within the general requirement of the textile industry (ΔECMC(2:1) &lt; 1). The reuse of treated water in new dyeing processes is beneficial both for the industry and for the environment, because the textile sector is an intensive water consumer during both the dyeing and finishing processes.

Soluble microbial products from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium as the bioflocculant for municipal wastewater treatment.

Soluble microbial products (SMP), a type of polymers released from microbial metabolism and decay, show great potential for wastewater treatment as bioflocculants; however, biogenic flocculant utilization is currently limited to bacterial SMP. In this study, SMP produced by Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKMF-1767 (SMP-P) was investigated to determine the application potential of fungal SMP. SMP-P exhibited high flocculation activity in kaolin suspension at a dosage range of 0.67-0.84mg/L with Ca2+ assistance, comparable to that of commercial polyacrylamide. The high molecular weight polysaccharides (2.0×106-4.7×107Da) in SMP-P, which enabled flocculation via the bridging mechanism and served as the dominant active constituent, were composed of glucose and arabinose at a molar ratio of 1: 0.03, with (1→4, 6)-linked glucose as the main backbone and a small proportion of branched structures. They contained hydroxyl and carboxyl, effective functional groups for the flocculation process, and displayed parallel self-orientation behavior in water. Efficient chemical oxygen demand removal was achieved during municipal wastewater treatment using SMP-P as the bioflocculant. This study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing fugal SMP as bioflocculants and provides guidance for their practical application.

Microbial properties of the granular sludge in a psychrophilic UASB reactor fed with electronics industry wastewater containing organic chemicals

In this study, a lab-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was applied to the treatment of artificial electronics industry wastewater containing tetramethylammonium-hydroxide (TMAH), monoethanolamine (MEA), and isopropyl-alcohol (IPA) in order to evaluate process performance and degradation properties. During 800 days of operation, 96% efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was stably achieved at an organic loading rate of 8.5 kgCOD/m3/day at 18–19 °C. MEA degradation, carried out by acid-forming eubacteria, was confirmed within a week. The physical properties of the retained granular sludge were degraded by feeding with TMAH wastewater, but maintained by feeding with MEA wastewater due to an accumulation of species from the genus Methanosaeta and family Geobacteraceae. Analysis of the microbial community structure via SEM and 16S rRNA genes showed a proliferation of Methanomethylovorans-like cells and Methanosaeta-like cells at the surface and in the core of the granular sludge with TMAH, MEA and IPA acclimation. Furthermore, a batch degradation experiment confirmed that process inhibition due to increasing chemical concentration was relatively stronger for TMAH than for MEA or IPA. Thus, controlling the TMAH concentration of the influent to below 1 gCOD/L will be important for the stable treatment of electronics industry wastewater by UASB technology.

Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactors for Trace Organic Contaminants with Wastewater Treatment: A Review

Trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in water environment such as pesticides, personal care products (PPCPs), and industrial materials have the characteristics including low concentration, wide distribution range, stable chemical structure. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is a new biological treatment method. The device combines the advantages of membrane filtration technology and biological treatment process. What the performance of AnMBR for TrOCs removal should be noticed. Some research is focusing on this question, and most of research found that AnMBR has shown great promises in the application of the removal of TrOCs in wastewater treatment. This paper briefly overviews recent processes of different types of AnMBR for the removal of different types of TrOCs with the influence of kinds of factors such as temperature, salinity etc. We mainly discussed the construction of AnMBR, the classification of TrOCs, and the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), the removal efficiency of TrOCs, and the biogas production. For the types of AnMBRs, the removal efficiency of COD and TrOCs and biogas production are excellent. Also, the removal efficiency of TrOCs is very related to the types of the contaminants. AnMBR is not only a practical choice for TrOCs removal, but also a good choice for following sustainable development because of the good biogas production. In addition, challenges of the future research are discussed also at the end of this review to give other researchers new perspectives and ideas.

Relationship between microbial community structures and degradation efficiencies in biological contact process on domestic sewage

In order to ascertain the characteristics of two different biofilm reactors and its efficiency, the influence of pH, DO and HRT in the clean-up of COD, NH3-N and TP as well as determining the relationship between microbial community structures and its performance of the two biofilm reactors. This study made use of a biological contact oxidation process system in a small-scale experiment to treat domestic sewage. This contemporary study examined the performance of two different fillers thus, BCF and MBBF in removal of organic pollutants from domestic wastewater as a novel technique of BCOP for sewage treatment. Two self-made biological contact biofilm reactors were used for the experiment: BCR (mounted with BCF) and MBBR (mounted with MBBF). After the biological treatment, the COD concentration of effluent could stay below 350 mg/L. The study analyzed the effects of hydraulic residence time (HRT) on COD, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and total phosphorus (TP) as well as the characteristics of each biofilm filler. The optimal HRT was 12 h; at that time, the experimental results indicated that BCF had higher removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen and total phosphorus at 50%, 96%, and 86%, respectively. Great contribution was made by the process by means of improving the biodegradability of domestic sewage and reducing sludge emergence via fermentation in the biological reactor.

Valorization of sugarcane bagasse waste for fly ash production and application as an adsorbent

In this study, fly ash (FA) was derived from extracted sugarcane bagasse solid waste (ESBSW) and chemically modified to apply as an adsorbent. Impact of activated FA particles (200 and 250 µm) and adsorbent bed height (4, 6 and 8 mm) on pollutant removal efficiency was evaluated. ESBSW was combusted in laboratory-scale gasifier operated at 1000 °C for 1 h. The black solid residue was sieved to obtain the desired particle size followed by activation with 10% and 15% sulfuric acid. Wastewater samples collected from the drainage site of BUITEMS were analyzed and treated with the prepared adsorbent. ESBSW-FA 250 activated with 15% H 2 SO 4 with 8 mm bed height showed high efficiency. Where, 94.37%, 95.1% and 63.5% removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS) and turbidity was attained, respectively. The pH of treated water was neutral. ESBSW has shown great potential to be used as a precursor for valuable byproducts. It's recycling for adsorbent preparation will economically and environmentally benefit the sugar industry.

Valorization of sugarcane bagasse waste for fly ash production and application as an adsorbent

In this study, fly ash (FA) was derived from extracted sugarcane bagasse solid waste (ESBSW) and chemically modified to apply as an adsorbent. Impact of activated FA particles (200 and 250 µm) and adsorbent bed height (4, 6 and 8 mm) on pollutant removal efficiency was evaluated. ESBSW was combusted in laboratory-scale gasifier operated at 1000 °C for 1 h. The black solid residue was sieved to obtain the desired particle size followed by activation with 10% and 15% sulfuric acid. Wastewater samples collected from the drainage site of BUITEMS were analyzed and treated with the prepared adsorbent. ESBSW-FA 250 activated with 15% H2SO4 with 8 mm bed height showed high efficiency. Where, 94.37%, 95.1% and 63.5% removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS) and turbidity was attained, respectively. The pH of treated water was neutral. ESBSW has shown great potential to be used as a precursor for valuable byproducts. It's recycling for adsorbent preparation will economically and environmentally benefit the sugar industry.

Cadmium-effect on performance and symbiotic relationship of microalgal-bacterial granules

So far, the microalgal-bacterial granular sludge process has attracted growing interest as an emerging wastewater treatment technology. Cadmium ion (Cd2+) commonly found in wastewater is toxic to microorganisms, thus its effect on microalgal-bacterial granules was investigated in this study. Results showed that Cd2+ at the concentration above 1 mg/L could compromise the performances of microalgal-bacterial granules. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand decreased from about 70% in the control to 42.2% and 25.0% after 30-day operation at the respective Cd2+ concentrations of 5 and 10 mg/L, while the ammonia-nitrogen removal also declined from 70.4% to 30.5% with the increase of the Cd2+ concentration from 1 to 10 mg/L, indicating that nitrifying bacteria were susceptive to the presence of Cd2+. It was further revealed that Cd2+ could stimulate the production of extracellular polymeric substances, e.g. 190.19 ± 7.04 mg/g VSS in the presence of 10 mg/L of Cd2+ versus 100.26 ± 3.82 mg/g VSS in the control after 10-day operation. More importantly, about 84.1%–94.8% of Cd2+ was found to bind to the extracellular proteins in microalgal-bacterial granules at the Cd2+ concentrations studied. In addition, Chlorococcum and Cyanobacteria in microalgal-bacteria granules were withered in the presence of 10 mg/L of Cd2+, suggesting uncoupled symbiosis between microalgae and bacteria induced by Cd2+. Consequently, this study showed that Cd2+ could negatively impact on the microbial structures and metabolisms of microalgal-bacterial granular sludge, leading to a compromised process performance in terms of organic and nitrogen removal.

Evaluation of a continuous flow microbial fuel cell for treating synthetic swine wastewater containing antibiotics

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) systems are promising technologies for wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation simultaneously. Performance of a double-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) to treat synthetic swine wastewater containing sulfonamide antibiotics (SMs) was evaluated in this study. The MFC was operated in continuous modes at different conditions. Results indicated that the current was successfully generated during the operation. The performance of MFC under the sequential anode-cathode operating mode is better than that under the single continuous running mode. Specifically, higher removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (>90%) was achieved under the sequential anode-cathode operating mode in comparison with that in the single continuous mode (>80%). Nutrients were also be removed in the MFC's cathode chamber with the maximum removal efficiency of 66.6 ± 1.4% for NH4+-N and 32.1 ± 2.8% for PO43−-P. Meanwhile, SMs were partly removed in the sequential anode-cathode operating with the value in a range of 49.4%–59.4% for sulfamethoxazole, 16.8%–19.5% for sulfamethazine and 14.0%–16.3% for sulfadiazine, respectively. SMs' inhibition to remove other pollutants in both electrodes of MFC was observed after SMs exposure, suggesting that SMs exert toxic effects on the microorganisms. A positive correlation was found between the higher NH4+-N concentration used in this study and the removal efficiency of SMs in the cathode chamber. In short, although the continuous flow MFC is feasible for treating swine wastewater containing antibiotics, its removal efficiency of antibiotics requires to be further improved.

Ancillary palm oil fuel ash (POFA) in sequencing batch reactor for enhancing recalcitrant pollutants removal from domestic wastewater

Domestic wastewater has been generated massively along with rapid growth of population and economic. Biological treatment using sequencing batch reactor (SBR) augmented with palm oil fuel ash (POFA) was investigated for the first time. The performance of POFA in enhancing biological treatment of wastewater has not been tested. The porosity property of POFA can improve SBR efficiency by promoting growth of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and formation of larger flocs for settling and facilitating attachment of microorganisms and pollutants onto POFA surfaces. The properties of POFA were tested to identify morphological properties, particle size, surface area, chemical compositions. Four SBRs, namely SBR1, SBR2, SBR3 and SBR4 were provided with aeration rate of 1, 2, 3 and 4 L/min, respectively. Each reactor was augmented with different dosages of POFA. Optimum aeration rate and POFA concentration were identified by the performance of SBRs in removing chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3–N) and colour from domestic wastewater. The results showed the most efficient COD (97.8%), NH3–N (99.4%) and colour (98.8%) removals were achieved at optimum POFA concentration of 4 g/L in SBR and aeration rate of 1 L/min. The study also found that higher aeration rate would contribute to the smaller specific size of flocs and decrease the pollutant removal efficiency.

Development of a novel electrocoagulation anode for real urban wastewater treatment: Experimental and modeling study to optimize operative conditions

Electrocoagulation (EC) is one of the most cost-effective techniques for eliminating pollutants from wastewater. The objective of the present work was to develop a novel low-cost EC anode-based aluminum scrap shape by valorizing used aluminum cans, in attempts to increase the contact rate between the pollutant molecules and EC anode leading to enhance the pollutants removal efficiency from urban wastewater. Moreover, to optimize the EC operative conditions with reducing the number of required experiments, modeling by Box-Behnken design (BBD) in response surface methodology was performed to investigate the effects of many operating parameters: initial pH, applied current, operating time and packed density, on the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphorous (P) and fecal coliforms (FC). Considering the treatment energy consumption, the results led to two important operative conditions for cost-effective EC treatment: economic and optimal conditions for experimental and modeled removals. The predicted results from BBD modeling regarding economic operative conditions were found to be COD (Y1) 80%, BOD (Y2) 84%, P (Y3) 96%, and FC (Y4) 99%, with an energy consumption (Y5) of 3.50 kWh m−3. Accordingly, experimentally validation using economic operative conditions resulted in removal efficiencies of COD (78.5%), BOD (83%), P (94.7%), and FC (99%) with a lower energy consumption of 2.52 kWh m−3. Hence, the predicted results revealed a good agreement with the experimental data. These findings could pave the way to reduce significantly the number of required experiments for other research works, and make aluminum based-electrode as a promising candidate for development and scale-up a low-cost EC electrode.