Evaluation of electro-coagulation method for decolorization and degradation of organic dyes in aqueous solutions

This research has two parts: at first part electro coagulation (EC) method was used to remove the dye Direct Black 22 (DB22 (in aqueous media. All experiments were done in a 2 liter reactor with two electrodes made of steel (SS-304) as cathodes and one aluminum electrode as anode. Parameters affecting the process, such as anode material, electrolyte concentration, current density, initial pH of solution and the initial dye concentration, were investigated. Total amount of consumed energy was used for determination of optimal conditions. According to the results obtained for DB22 at optimized conditions, color and COD removal percentage were 92% and 85%, respectively. In addition, the current efficiency for aluminum anode in removal of DB22 was 90%. At the second part of the research work, color removal by EC for six different dyes was evaluated. The results showed that dye structure and anode type are very important factors on performance of the process.