An Advanced electrochemical system for the removal of organic pollutants from food and beverage industry effluents

Effluent discharged from food industries may contain glucose. Removal of glucose from the effluent by anodic oxidation, as well as with electro coagulation of the glucose solution containing sodium chloride at 3.5% concentration as electrolyte was carried out using three electrochemical cells, namely: parallel electrodes, rotating cylinder anode and fixed bed electrochemical reactor. The first electrochemical cell consisted of lead or aluminum anode and stainless steel cathode. The process has been followed up by measuring. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) at different electrolysis duration, current density and temperature. The process has been followed up by measuring the chemical oxygen demand (COD) at different electrolysis duration, current density and temperature. The optimum condition for COD removal was found at current density of 0.04 A/cm2 and 0.065 A/cm2 for lead and aluminum anode respectively at 25C0. At the optimum condition the maximum COD reduction reached 80% for lead and 77% for aluminum.The second electrochemical cell consisted of a rotating lead and aluminum cylindrical anodes. Variables studied were: time, current density, and temperature and anode rotational speed. It was found that glucose removal increased with increasing rotational speed and glucose concentration using lead anode, COD reduction reached 83% under the same condition when using aluminum anode COD reduction reached 75%. On increasing current density, glucose removal increased and COD reduction was 90% when using lead anode and 87% when using aluminum anode.Energy consumption calculation has reveated that removal of glucose by anodic oxidation is more cost effective than electrocoagulation.