Electrochemical Treatment of Dye Wastewater in a Filter Press Type Electrochemical Reactor

Textile industries consume a large amount of water for its wet processing operations. It discharges a significant quantity of undesirable dye effluent, which requires proper treatment before disposal. This study presents the treatment of synthetic textile effluent containing orange dye using a filter press type electrochemical reactor consisting of stainless-steel cathode and noble metal oxide coated titanium anode. The reactor was operated under batch recirculation mode, and the effect of NaCl concentration, current density, and flow rate on % decolorization was studied. Highest decolorization was obtained at an electrolyte concentration of 1.5 g/L, a current density of 2 A/dm2, and a flow rate of 5 L/h. Furthermore, the influence of mechanical stirring and ultrasonic irradiation of contents present in the reservoir on decolorization was studied at optimum conditions. The optimum operating conditions were obtained by considering a shorter treatment time with maximum degradation. The forced mixing of contents present in the reservoir improved the decolorization, and ultrasound irradiation showed the highest decolorization. © 2023, The Institution of Engineers (India).