23/03/2019
Top 5 Advantages of Advanced Electrocoagulation Water Treatment-
Coagulation is a common practice in water and wastewater treatment processes, often used prior to filtration or sedimentation. Particles in the solution have a difficult time settling due to their common charges, which cause them to repel one another. To combat the repellant forces, the charges of the particles must be neutralized so that the colloids will cling together and precipitate, which is ideal for sedimentation and filtration. In order to induce coagulation, one of two methods can be used: chemical coagulation or electrocoagulation water treatment. Chemical coagulation has commonly been used in years past, but has a number of unwanted side effects (for more information, please see this article). More recently, electrocoagulation (EC) has been recognized for its effective treatment in many sectors. Here are five advantages of advanced Electrocoagulation water treatment.
Can process multiple contaminants in one pass
Treatment water often contains several different types of contaminants at the outset of the treatment process. Heavy metals, organic compounds, pesticides, and colloidal solids can be found, among others. Some treatment methods use multiple systems, to remove so many, but EC is able to remove them in a single system with sometimes only a single pass.
Low sludge production
Unlike chemical coagulation, which produces high volumes of hazardous sludge, EC produces very little sludge and it is non-hazardous. Because pH adjustment is the only aspect of EC that necessitates the addition of chemicals, there is little to add to the volume of any sludge produced. Also, even though most of the electrodes are sacrificial, they do not oxidize at a rate that would add significant amounts to the sludge. On the hazardous side of the sludge coin, the pH balancing chemicals do not create hazardous particulates and the metals are in an oxide form instead of the more dangerous hydroxide form produced in chemical coagulation. EC systems naturally deviate toward a neutral pH when not adjusted with an acid or base, so by the end of the process the pH of the sludge is typically somewhere between 6-8. The low volume and toxicity allow the sludge to be dewatered easily, transported easily, and safely disposed or used as a soil additive on farmland in many cases.
Low maintenance costs
As effective as an EC treatment process is, one might think that it would require a complex and expensive system. In reality, it is a relative easy system to operate. It mainly consists of a tank that is affixed with a series of metal plates -- which are connected to a power source -- that act as the anodes and cathodes. When the raw water and pH adjustment solution are added to the tank reactor, power is supplied to the plates and the process begins. There are no mechanically moving parts needed, so the system is not easily damaged. Maintenance is also quite simple; the plates are periodically cleaned with diluted acid and after some time will need to be replaced with new ones, which can be relatively inexpensive. Because this system is easy to operate, these systems can be remotely monitored with few personnel required to operate, monitor or maintain it.
Produces effluent with low TDS
In some cases, EC has the ability to process raw water and lower levels of total dissolved solids versus a conventional chemical coagulation process. The lack of large amounts of chemical additives contribute to this low concentration. Also, by removing even some of the smallest particulates, membrane fouling can be reduced greatly, which can also cut down on operating costs in these applications, because the membranes don’t need to be replaced as often as they would normally.
Systems can easily handle water quality variations
With chemical coagulation systems, it is very difficult to make adjustments to the process when the quality of the water changes. However, because the Electrocoagulation water treatment system is relatively easy to operate, the only necessary changes that would need to be made would be to the system voltage, reaction time, or the pH of the solution. This can easily be done even while the treatment is already in process.
