Development and applicability of Aluminium - Copper alloy electrodes for dairy wastewater treatment

The dairy sector is classified as a high-water-utilizing sector throughout its production stages. Dairy wastewater treatment implemented through electrocoagulation is one of the rapidly emerging technologies. Electrode selection is a critical factor determining the applicability and adaptability of electrocoagulation technology. The performance evaluation and applicability of metal alloy electrode is not that much explored in dairy wastewater treatment. Therefore a novel performance evaluation of alloy electrodes derived from Al and Cu combinations developed by mixing 1%, 5% and 10% Cu in Al named as AC1, AC5, and AC10 produced by stir casting technique is evaluated in this present study for determining their wastewater treatment efficiency. The various water quality parameters were analyzed for each electrode combination, and the best possible combination was identified. The results open the applicability of alloy electrodes in wastewater treatment. Among the selected alloy electrodes, AC10 is more suitable for dairy effluent treatment with turbidity and COD removal of 81.64 +/- 3.21% and 98.29 +/- 0.92%, respectively, with a limited reaction time of 54 min and minimal electrode loss. The scope of alloy electrodes for wastewater treatment is explored in this article.