Treatability Study For Removal Of TDS And SS

From Effulent
A Project Report

Submitted By

Vahora Mahir Ikbalbhai

Registration number:19404322011

Post Diploma In Industrial Environmental Technology And

Management
Year:2022-23

Undur The Guidence Of

Prof.Jagdish Chauhan
Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute
Ahmedabad – 380052
Gujarat.
 Preface

The Idea Of Undertaking This Project Came To My Mind During

Discussion On Advance Waste Water Treatment Method At
Nisarg Environment Consultants, Ahmedabad. The Project That
I Have Chosen Has Very Wide Scope With Vital Interest As Well
As For The Society As A Whole. A Lot Of Information, I Had
Tried To Collect As Much As Possible By Regular Site Visit,
Referring Of Manuals Regarding Various Other Topics Related
To Effluent Treatment By Ec Process. Compiling Of The
Information, Data And Material Started And Prepared Project
Report During My Tenure At Nisarg Environment Consultants,
Ahmedabad For Short Term Industrial Training From
19/01/2023 To 18/02/2023.
 Acknowledgment
I Feel Highly Privileged As A Student Of The 2022-23 Batch Of The One
Year Course On Post Diploma In Industrial Environmental Technology
And Management (PDIETM) At The Prestigious Mahatma Gandhi
Labour Institute (MGLI), Ahmedabad.

I Would Like To Thank You My Guide Mr.Jagdish Chauhan, My Course

Co-Ordinator Dr. Prapti Shah And NISARG ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANT
MEMBERS For Providing Me Best Platform For My Work And
Continuous Guidance And Latest Knowledge Which Helps Me To Build
Up My Knowledge And Understanding.

In Conclusion Let Me Express Sincere Thanks To All Others Who Have

Been Associated With My Task Directly Or Indirectly.

With Deep Gratitude & Regards.

(Vahora Mahir Ikbalbhai)

 Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute

(Established by the Government of Gujarat)

Endorsement
This Is To Certify That Mr. VAHORA MAHIR IKBALBHAI With Registration
No: 19404322011 Is A Student Of Post Diploma In Industrial
Environmental Technology And Management (PDIETM) Course From
2022-23 Batch Of Our Institute. The Student Was Deputed To NISARG
ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANTS For The Project Study. Accordingly, He
Has Successfully Completed The Task And Submitted A Report On “
Treatability Study For Removal Of TDS And SS From Effulent “

Date:

Place: Mr. jagdish chauhan Dr. prapti shah

Ahmedabad (Project guide) (course co-ordinator)

 Certificate

This Is To Certify That Vahora Mahir Ikbalbhai Is The Student Of

Post Diploma In Industrial Environment Technology And
Management (PDIETM) From Mahatma Gandhi Labour
Institute, Ahmedabad Has Successfully Completed His Industrial
Training At Our Nisarg Environment Consultant With Effect
From 19th January 2022 To 18th February 2022 And Submit
The Report Timely.

For
Nisarg Environment Consultants.
1.0 Introduction
There is a growth in demand for new water treatment technologies as
the world’s population increases and fresh water sources are polluted.
Waterborne diseases are still common in developing countries due to
the lack of funding or appropriate know-how for water purification.
Industry also uses these limited water sources and has to acquiesce to
lower quality raw water as a higher proportion of fresh water is
required for human consumption. Wastewater treatment technologies
used in both municipal and industrial applications have to be further
developed in order to reduce the pollution of receiving water bodies.
Chemical coagulation and flocculation are commonly used as a part of
the water purification systems for the removal of pollutants from raw
waters and wastewaters. Their main function is to enhance particle
separation in the subsequent processes, such as filtration,
sedimentation or flotation. In order to understand destabilisation of
particles by coagulants and flocculants, it is crucial to understand the
mechanisms which stabilise particles in aqueous solutions. Chemical
coagulation and flocculation are used in both industrial and municipal
raw water and wastewater treatment systems. They can enhance the
removal of several types of pollutants from the water streams. Typical
examples of pollutants to be removed are nutrients, toxic heavy metals
and natural organic matter (NOM). The most commonly used
coagulants are aluminium or iron salts, such as sulphates and chlorides.
These metal salts form various hydrolysis products in the water
depending on water chemistry, such as pH and the concentration of
anions. Metal cations and hydroxides destabilise colloid pollutants in
water by reducing repulsion forces between the colloids and by
entrapping particles in the sludge. Electrocoagulation (EC) has been
suggested as an advanced alternative to chemical coagulation in
pollutant removal from raw waters and wastewaters. In this
technology, metal cations are released into water through dissolving
metal electrodes. Simultaneously, beneficial side reactions can remove
flocculated material from the water. However, there are also adverse
side reactions, such as deposition of salts on the electrode surface,
which may cause deterioration of removal efficiency after long
operation. As in the case of chemical coagulation with metal salts,
aluminium or iron cations and hydroxides are the active compounds in
EC. Chemical coagulation and EC have fundamentally similar
destabilization mechanisms and it is therefore important to go through
the theory of colloid destabilisation with metal salt coagulants, because
chemical coagulation has been studied more extensively than EC.
 2.0 Basic Concept And Theory Of Coagulation And
Flocculation
Pollutants in wastewaters are typically colloidal particles,
which are not easily removed with typical filtration
sedimentation or flotation due to their stability in water. These
particles have special properties due to their small size and
large total surface area. The properties of the interface of
colloidal particles and the stabilisation of colloidal particles are
discussed in this section
2.1 Interface Of Colloidal Particles
Colloid is a microscopic particle, typically having at least one dimension
in the range of 1 nm to 10 µm, which is dispersed throughout the other
substance. This medium where particles are dispersed can be gas, liquid
or solid. The combined surface area of colloids in dispersions is large
due to their small size and therefore surface properties play an
important role in their characteristics. Typical wastewaters are
heterodispersions, having a wide variety of particles with different
particles sizes. Stability and destabilisation of colloids in solutions is the
result of their surface charge. Surface immersed into a solution can
attain a charge by ionisation of surface groups, by ion adsorption, by
dissolution of ionic solids or by isomorphous substitution. Many
surfaces contain ionisable functional groups, such as –OH, –COOH or –
NH2. Surface charge therefore depends on the ionisation of these
functional groups and consequently on the pH of the solution.
Isomorphous substitution occurs when lattice imperfection occurs at
the crystal due to the replacement of some atom in the crystal by
another ion that has a different amount of electrons, which results in a
charged surface. This occurs for example in clay particles. Adsorption of
ions has an impact on surface charge of the particles. Dissolution of
ionic solids can cause a charge on the surface if the dissolution of
anions and cations from the solid is unequal. When a charge forms on
the surface it also affects the ions in the surrounding solution. The ions
of opposite charge are attracted towards the surface, whereas the ions
of the same charge are repelled from the surface. This separation of
charges on the particle surface results in the formation of electrical
double layer

2.2 stability of colloids particles

Colloids are said to be stable in aqueous solutions when their
aggregation or sedimentation is so slow that they make virtually stable
dispersions. This is important when considering of wastewater
treatments because these particles cannot be removed by
sedimentation in a reasonable period of time. Stability (or destability)
of colloids in water is a balance between the repulsive electrostatic
force and attractive, London-van der Waals force. The theory of
Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) estimates these energies
of attraction and repulsion. The London-van der Waals forces of
attraction, caused by the permanent or induced dipoles, are important
at very short distances. The repulsion force is caused by the overlapping
of the electrical double layers, which leads to higher counterion
concentration and hence to repulsion between the particles. The
repulsion force is an exponential function of the distance between the
particles with a range of the order of the thickness of the electrical
double layer, whereas the attraction force decreases as an inverse
power of the distance between the particles. There are two minimums
in the summation of attraction and repulsion forces between the
particles having similar charges. The primary minimum, at a close
distance between the particles, is where particles reside after
coagulation. There is also a secondary minimum at longer distance and
this is the energy minimum of flocculation. Potential energy at the
primary minimum is significantly smaller than at the secondary
minimum and hence the particles at the primary minimum are more
tightly attached. Between the primary and secondary potential energy
minimums, an energy barrier exists which the particles have to
overcome with their kinetic energy before coagulation can take place.
Ionic strength affects the thickness of double layer. The double layer
compresses when ionic strength increases. In addition to ionic strength,
the valence of the ions also affects the thickness of the EDL. Multivalent
counterions are concentrated in the double layer more than
monovalent ions.

2.3 destabilisation mechanisms of colloids

Colloids can be stable in water due to electrostatic repulsions between
the particles. In coagulation and flocculation technologies, particles are
destabilised with the addition of inorganic or organic chemicals which
have an effect on the properties of EDL. Coagulants are chemicals
which reduce the repulsive energy between the particles (energy
barrier). Therefore particles can more easily agglomerate at the primary
minimum of potential energy. Flocculation occurs when these
agglomerated particles attach to each other with a weak bond (the
secondary minimum of potential energy). Flocculation aids improve floc
properties, such as settleability and filterability.
 Compression of electrical double layer. The increase of the
concentration of ions in bulk solution compresses EDL and
particles come together more easily as the length of EDL
decreases. Optimum destabilisation is achieved when zeta-
potential is close to 0 mV. Excess salt concentration does not lead
to restabilisation of the particles.
 Adsorption destabilisation. This occurs when oppositely charged
ions or polymers are adsorbed on the surfaces of particles. They
reduce surface charge and thus repulsive force between the
particles. Destabilisation occurs typically at zeta-potential values
close to 0 mV. Too high a coagulant dose can lead to the
restabilisation of the particles because the charge is reversed.
 Inter-particle bridging. Polymerised metal coagulants or organic
chemicals can form bridges between the particles. Polymer can
adsorb on the particle surface by several mechanisms, such as
charge-charge interactions, dipole interactions, hydrogen bonding
or van der Waals interaction. When one polymer chain adsorbs on
multiple particles, bridging occurs and molecular weight
increases. Bridging is a typical mechanism with longchained, high
molecular weight organic polymers. The zeta-potential of the
particles which are destabilised by bridging mechanism is not
typically close to zero. Restabilisation can occur when the surface
is completely covered by the polymer
 Precipitation and enmeshment mechanism. This destabilisation
mechanism is typical with the high concentrations of metal salts in
near neutral pH. In this pH, metal salts, such as alum or ferric
sulphate, form insoluble hydrolysis products and polymerise.
Colloidal particles can then be enmeshed into these sweep flocs.
 3.0 Methodology Of Electro-Coagulation

EC understandably has several similarities with the chemical

coagulation but also significant differences, which are discussed in this
section. In the EC system there are multiple electrochemical reactions
occurring simultaneously at the anodes and cathodes. These
mechanisms can be divided into the main mechanisms that cause
destabilisation of pollutants, and side reactions, such as hydrogen
formation. The most important reactions are summarised in below Fig.

Schematic representation of typical reactions during the EC treatment

.

 The EC unit consists of an electrochemical cell in which the

electrodes are located and connected to an external current
supply. The generation of coagulants, i.e. metal ions, is performed
in situ, by dissolving the anode material (equation 1):

M(s) Mn+ + n e

The reaction that takes place on the cathode is the reduction of

water, which results in the generation of hydrogen gas and
hydroxyl ions (equation 2)

4H2O + 4e- 2H2(g) + 4HO-(aq)

The reaction takes place on the anode is the oxidation of water:

H2O 4H+(aq) + O2(g) + 4e-

 The EC process usually involves the following steps: 1. sacrificing

the anode material under the influence of an electric current,
which leads to the generation of metal cations; 2. the generation
of hydroxyl ions on the cathode; 3. formation of metal hydroxides
with good adsorption properties that bind pollutants; 4. oxidation
of pollutants to less toxic products; 5. neutralization of charged
pollutants with metal ions; 6. aggregation of neutralized
pollutants and their adsorption; 7. flotation using the gases
produced in the system. Metal ions formed by dissolving the
anode material react with hydroxyl ions generated at the cathode,
forming hydrox ides that are good adsorbents. Iron and aluminum
are most often used to produce anodes, due to the formation of
 polyvalent ions and various hydrolysis products, which depend on
the pH of the solution as well as the possibility of forming
polynuclear complexes. Therefore, the pH of the solution has a
great influence on the efficiency of EC. The hydrolysis reaction can
be represented by equation:

M3+ Me(OH)2+ Me(OH)2 Me(OH)3 Me(OH)4

As the pH of the solution increases, the reaction continues, giving other

products. Iron will be present in the form of ferric ions (Fe3+) at pH <3,
at pH from 3 to 4 it will be in the form of Fe(OH) 2+, from 4 to 6 in the
form of Fe(OH)2+, from 6 to 9,5 in the form of Fe(OH) 3, and at pH values
greater than 9.5, it will be present in the form of Fe(OH) 4 ,Aluminum
hydrolysis reactions in aqueous solutions give Al 3+,Al(OH)2+, Al(OH)2+
-and Al(OH)3 as the dominant species in acidic, neutral and slightly
alkaline solutions, while Al(OH)4- will be present in alkaline solutions.
Insoluble forms, Fe(OH)3 and Al(OH)3 remain in the solution and
destabilize contaminants by electrostatic attraction forces.
Destabilization of contaminants takes place through two mechanisms:

1. cation hydrolysis products neutralize negatively charged colloidal

particles;

2. removal of pollutants in the form of an amorphous hydroxide.

4.0 DESIGN CRITERIA
4.1 Electrode material

Electrode material defines which electrochemical reactions take place

in the EC system. Both aluminum and iron electrodes have been used
successfully in EC systems. Aluminum dissolves in all cases as Al(III),
whereas there is some controversy as to whether iron dissolves as Fe(II)
or Fe(III). Iron dissolves as Fe(II) and is oxidized in bulk solution to Fe(III)
in the presence of oxidants like oxygen.Fe(II) is a weak coagulant
compared to Fe(III) because of higher solubility of hydroxides and lower
positive charge. Generally, aluminum is better than iron in most cases
when the effectiveness of the treatment is the only criterion However,
aluminum is more expensive. Ideal material selection depends on the
type of contaminants and the chemical characteristics of the
electrolyte.

4.2 Arrangement of electrode

There are a number of methods for the arrangement of electrodes. In

EC systems, normally plate electrodes are built and water passes
through the space between the electrodes. Arrangement of electrodes
could be monopolar or bipolar. In monopolar arrangements, the
performance improvement is achieved by using EC cells with
monopolar electrodes either in parallel or series combinations(figure
(A) and (b)). The parallel connections entail a couple of conductive
metal plates positioned between two parallel electrodes and a direct
current (DC) power source. Further, each pair of ‘sacrificial electrodes’
is internally linked without interconnections with the outer electrodes.
This prearrangement of monopolar electrodes with cells in series is
electrically similar to a single cell with many electrodes and
interconnections.
Figure (C) presents bipolar electrodes with cells in parallel showing that
sacrificial electrodes are located amid the two parallel electrodes
without electrical linking. Only the two monopolar electrodes are linked
to the electric power source with no interconnections between the
sacrificial electrodes. This pre-arrangement of the system offers flexible
maintenance during use. The neutral sides of the conductive plate
become the charged sides when an electric current is passed through
the two electrodes, with opposite charges compared to the parallel
side. Therefore, the sacrificial electrodes are called bipolar electrodes.
4.3 current density supply and time of treatment

Current density is regarded as an important factor because it analyzes

the coagulant dosage rate, bubble formation rate, size, and
development of flocs, as they affect the efficiency of the EC process.
The anode dissolution rate is directly proportional to the current
density. However, an increase in current density beyond the optimal
value has no effect on the contaminant removal efficiency.

Coagulant produced by electrolysis can usually be calculated according

to Faraday’s law when current and treatment times are known.
Coagulant concentration produced by electrolysis on anodes is typically
directly proportional to the electric charge added per volume
(coulombs per liter). However, the total amount of coagulant dissolved
also includes chemical dissolution of the electrodes in low pH and the
dissolution of aluminum cathodes. Current density probably has some
influence on the chemical dissolution of aluminum cathodes because it
affects the rate of hydroxyl ion production at the cathodes.

The removal rate of pollutant is also a function of the electrolysis time.

The pollutant removal efficiency increases with an increase in the
electrolysis time. However, beyond the optimum electrolysis time, the
removal rate becomes constant and does not increase with an increase
in the electrolysis time. Metal hydroxides are formed by dissolution of
the anode. For a fixed current density, the number of generated metal
hydroxide increases with an increase in the electrolysis time. For a
longer electrolysis time, there is an increase in the generation of flocs
resulting in an increase in the pollutant removal efficiency.

4.4 conductivity of solution

 In the electrolysis process, the contaminant elimination efficiency and
working cost are direct functions of the solution conductivity. The
conductivity of the solution helps the flow of the electric current
through it. Salt additives, such as sodium chloride or sodium sulfate, are
added to the solution before treatment for adjusting the pH. At a
constant cell voltage or reduction in the cell voltage, the current
density increases with increase in conductivity.

4.5 Effect of temperature

When the electrode used is aluminum and temperature is too high,

there is a shrinkage of large pores of the Al(OH)3 gel, which causes the
formation of dense flocs that are more likely to be deposited on the
electrode surface. Temperature increase also enhances the solubility of
aluminum. This shows that temperature increase has both positive and
negative effects on removal efficiency. It is possible that the effect of
temperature on removal efficiency depends on the pollutant’s removal
mechanism. A previous study showed the effect of temperature on the
percentage removal of phenol using a fixed bed aluminum electrode.
The percentage removal increases from 88% to 95% as the temperature
increases from 25 to 45°C. Further increase in temperature has a little
effect on removal efficiency. However, another study by Khaled et al.
(2015) showed the effect of initial temperature (18, 30, 50, and 70°C)
for the removal of cadmium from industrial wastewater through EC
process using two aluminum electrodes. They found that increase in
temperature and reduction of electrolysis time significantly improved
the removal efficiency without difference in cost and energy
consumption. In fact, due to the increase in temperature, the mass
transfer increased, and the kinetics of particle collision improved. In
addition, high temperature favors formation of large hydrogen bubbles,
enhanced flotation speed, and reduction in the adhesion of suspended
particles. The maximum elimination of 98% was obtained at a
temperature of 50°C and an electrolysis time of 30 min.

4.6 initial concentration of pollutant

The pollutant removal efficiency decreases with an increase in the

initial concentration of the pollutant for a constant current density. This
is because the amount of metal hydroxide flocs formed may be
insufficient to settle the huge amount of pollutant molecules at higher
initial pollutant concentrations. When the initial concentration of
pollutants is high, there is no significant effect of current densities on
removal rate especially at the early stage of the reaction.

4.7 Inter-electrode distance

The inter-electrode distance plays a significant role in EC process

because the electrostatic field depends on the distance between the
anode and cathode. Maximum pollutant removal efficiency is obtained
by maintaining an optimum distance between the electrodes. At the
minimum inter-electrode distance, the pollutant removal efficiency is
low. This is because the generated metal hydroxides which act as the
flocs and remove the pollutant by sedimentation degrade as they
collide with each other due to high electrostatic attraction. The
pollutant removal efficiency increases with an increase in the inter-
electrode distance from the minimum till the optimum distance
between the electrodes. This is because further increase in the distance
between the electrodes decreases the electrostatic effects resulting in a
slower movement of the generated ions. It provides more time for the
generated metal hydroxide to agglomerate to form the flocs resulting in
an increase in the removal efficiency of the pollutant in the solution.
Further increase in the electrode distance above the optimum value
reduces the pollutant removal efficiency. This is because the travel time
of the ions increases with an increase in the electrodes distance.
Further, there is a decrease in the electrostatic attraction, which lowers
the formation of flocs needed to coagulate the pollutant.

4.8 power supply type In the EC process, there is an in situ generation

of metal hydroxide ions by electrolytic oxidation of the sacrificial anode.
These metal hydroxide ions act as a coagulant and remove the
pollutants from the solution by sedimentation. Several studies in the
literature used DC for EC process. The use of DC leads to the corrosion
of the anode due to oxidation. An oxidation layer also forms on the
cathode, which reduces the flow of current between the cathode and
the anode thereby lowering the pollutant removal efficiency. However,
several studies used alternating current (AC) to activate EC process.
Vasudevan studied fluoride removal from water using DC and AC EC
systems comparatively. The results showed similar removal efficiency
with both technologies. However, the energy consumption was slightly
lower with AC technology. The same authors investigated the effect of
AC and DC on the removal of cadmium from water using aluminum
electrodes.

PH CURRENT CURRENT REMOVAL ENERGY

DENSITY TYPES EFFICEINCY CONSUMPTION
A/dm2 % KWh/KL
7 0.2 AC 97.5 0.454
7 0.2 DC 96.2 1.002
5.0 LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
Aim: Treatability study for removal of TDS and SS from effulent
Method: Electro-coagulation

Collection of sample: Collection of sample of plastic carboy

Apparatus: Two aluminium plates, digital dc power supply meter,

stopwatch.

Exp. Set-up:

Before Electro-Coagulation Process

 During Electro-Coagulation Process.

After process Of Electro-Coagulation

6.0 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
  D –TYPE OF WATER SAMPLE:-
Sample size: 100 ml
Treatment time: 15 min

Table no. 1

Current Voltage Turbidity pH

NTU
Initia After Initia After initia After Initia After
l l l l
0.13 0.13 15.2 13.5 5 1 7.34 8.51

 A –TYPE WATER SAMPLE:-

Sample size: 100 ml
Treatment time: 15 min

Table no. 2

Current Voltage Turbidity pH

NTU
Initia After Initia After initia After Initia After
l l l l
0.02 0.01 15.2 15.2 69.3 0.7 6.51 8.51
6
A SUMMURY OF RECENT EC STUDIES ON VARIOUS
WASTE WATER
6.1 Factor Affecting Electro-coagulation
Wastewater treatment by using electro-coagulation process can be
done by considering different factors. In this study, pH of wastewater,
electrolytic concentration, current, reaction time, electrode type, the
distance between electrodes, and way of electrode combined are
considered as a factor to treat the wastewater.

6.1.1 PH

The pH of the wastewater sample is not the same. It is adjusted by a

solution of NaOH and H2SO4 and checked by a pH meter. Keeping the
pH of the wastewater sample constant, the removal efficiency of color,
COD, and turbidity obtained was different by changing other affecting
factors. The laboratory results indicate that as pH increases, the
removal efficiency and energy were increased. This is because the
increase in pH during EC process was primarily attributed to the
evolution of hydrogen gas at the cathode, and the concentration of
hydroxyl ions (OH−) increases in the solution due to the electrochemical
reactions that result in high removal efficiency.

6.1.2 Current

It Is The Amount Of Electric Current In Ampere Applied To Elec-

Trocoagulation Process For Wastewater Treatment Taken During
Electrochemical Process. By Varying The Value Of Electric Current
Applied To The Electro-Coagulation Process With Different Parameters,
The Removal Efficiency Also Varies. Increasing The Current In Ampere.
Increases The Removal Efficiency Of Color, COD, Turbidity, And
Consumption Of Energy. A Higher Removal Value Of Pollutants Is
Observed, While A Gradual Increment Of Electric Current Is Applied.
This Can Be Attributed Due To The Fact That The Applied Current
Determines The Rates Of Coagulant And Bubble Production, Which In
Turn Can Increase The Pollutant Removal Efficiency.

Removal efficiency and power consumption versus current on Al

6.1.3 Reaction Time

Reaction time is the time needed to complete the reaction process of a

sample which affects the electro-coagulation process. According to this
activity, the reaction time is one hour in which the removal efficiency is
checked at a 15 min interval using the initial value as a baseline. In this
investigation, the laboratory result shows one hour reaction time is
somewhat enough to remove pollutants such that increasing an
electrolysis time increases the removal degree of pollutants and
consumption of energy. Increasing the reaction time increases the
removal efficiency of color, turbidity, and COD with energy
consumption from wastewater. According to (Asaithambi et al. 2016),
increasing the reaction time resulted in higher removal efficiency due
to the generation of hydroxyl radicals and more metal polymeric
species were formed.

Removal efficiency and power consumption versus electrolysis time on Al

6.1.4 Distance Between Electrodes And Type Of Electrodes

Distance between electrodes is the gap formed between the anode and
cathode. So as the distance between electrodes increases, the removal
efficiency also increases energy. This is because the increase in the
inter-electrode distance has a direct relationship with current and
resistance which increases the cell voltage (Asaithambi et al. 2012).
Types of electrodes are also other factors that affect electrocoagulation
and can be selected based on their availability on the market, cost, and
effectiveness.