Fluoride Removal from pretreated Photovoltaic Wastewater by Electrocoagulation: An Investigation of The Effect of Operational Parameters

Abstract In this paper, application of electrocoagulation using common iron electrode to a simulated photovoltaic wastewater after precipitation with lime (Ca(OH)2) was investigated. Electrocoagulation process delivers the coagulant in situ as the sacrificial anode corrodes, while the simultaneous evolution of hydrogen at the cathode allows pollutant removal by flotation. Several working parameters, such as initial pH, applied potential and distance between the electrodes, were studied in an attempt to achieve higher fluoride removal efficiency. The optimum conditions for the process were identified as pH = 6, the distance between electrodes = 1 and an applied potential of 30 V. Furthermore fluoride removal is under the direct discharge standards.Results showed high effectivenessof the electrocoagulation method in removing fluoride from aqueous solutions.