Electrocoagulation pre-treatment to simultaneously remove dissolved and colloidal substances and Ca2+ in old corrugated container wastewater

Hui Liu; Yueru Wu; Mingfu Li; Haitong Ma; Meiling Li; Kaili Zhu; Jian Zhang; Guoning Chen; Zhiwei Wang; Shuangfei Wang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128851

Electrocoagulation pre-treatment to simultaneously remove dissolved and colloidal substances and Ca²⁺ in old corrugated container wastewater

Chemosphere. 2021 Apr:268:128851. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128851. Epub 2020 Nov 3.

Authors

Hui Liu¹, Yueru Wu², Mingfu Li³, Haitong Ma⁴, Meiling Li⁵, Kaili Zhu⁶, Jian Zhang⁷, Guoning Chen⁸, Zhiwei Wang⁹, Shuangfei Wang¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: lh18829545498@126.com.
² College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: 524483521@qq.com.
³ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: limingfuzd51@126.com.
⁴ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: 624186918@qq.com.
⁵ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: 1170414913@qq.com.
⁶ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: zhukaili26@163.com.
⁷ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control, College of Light Industry and Food Engineering Guangxi, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: zhangjian_gx@gxu.edu.cn.
⁸ Guangxi Bossco Environment Co., Ltd, Nanning, 530007, PR China. Electronic address: chenguonin2@126.com.
⁹ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control, College of Light Industry and Food Engineering Guangxi, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: wangzhiwei@gxu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control, College of Light Industry and Food Engineering Guangxi, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China. Electronic address: wangsf@gxu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33168278
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128851

Abstract

An effective electrocoagulation pre-treatment (ECP) method was proposed to simultaneously solve the problems of the micro stickies deposition and high Ca²⁺ content in old corrugated container (OCC) papermaking wastewater during the recycling process. The optimal ECP condition was investigated. The results indicated that the effect of an Al electrode on wastewater treatment was superior to that of a Fe or Mg electrode. The optimal treatment conditions of the current density, electrode distance and reaction time were 115 A m^-2, 5 cm and 60 min, respectively. After the ECP, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and Ca²⁺ removal rates were 75.33% and 64.53%, respectively, and the turbidity and dissolved and colloidal substance (DCS) content decreased by 97.1% and 43.68%, respectively. The particle size of flocs in the liquid increased from 1.675 μm to 31.97 μm, and the floc content was 0.78 g L^-1 after ECP. The anode material and energy consumption were 0.1846 kg m^-3 and 4.56 kWh m^-3, respectively, and the cost of treatment was estimated to be 1.11 $ m^-3. The results demonstrate that ECP can effectively remove the micro stickies, COD, and Ca²⁺ in the OCC wastewater, which is conducive to reducing the cost of wastewater treatment and conform to the requirements of sustainable development.

Keywords: Calcium ions; Chemical oxygen demand: COD; DCS; Dissolved and colloidal substances: DCS; ECP; Electrocoagulation pre-treatment: ECP; Electrocoagulation: EC; Floc; Micro stickies; OCC wastewater; Old corrugated container: OCC.

MeSH terms

Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis
Electrocoagulation
Electrodes
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Industrial Waste / analysis
Waste Disposal, Fluid
Wastewater*
Water Pollutants, Chemical*

Substances

Industrial Waste
Waste Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical