Electrochemical treatment of dye wastewater using nickel foam electrode

Removal of dye from wastewater has been investigated using the electrocoagulation method. Batch experiment has been conducted to remove the color from synthetically prepared Acid Red 87 dye wastewater. Stainless steel and nickel foam sheets are used as cathode and anode, respectively. The effect of some operating parameters, such as current density, initial dye concentration and supporting electrolyte concentration, on color removal has been studied. It can be observed from the present investigations that the nickel foam electrode effectively removes color from the wastewater. Nickel hydroxyl species formed during the operation and also, nickel(II) hydroxide flocs formed in a subsequent stage, trap colloidal precipitates and make solid-liquid separation easier during the flotation stage. These stages of electrocoagulation must be optimized to design an economically feasible process.