Optimization of textile wastewater treatment by electrocoagulation-microfiltration using recycled electrodes and Box-Behnken design

This study investigated the treatment of textile wastewater through the use of electrocoagulation (EC) with recycled aluminium electrodes, as well as the combination of EC with microfiltration (MF) processes. Through the optimization of various conditions, the EC process demonstrated high levels of color, turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, with over 90% removal rates achieved at the optimized operating conditions of 100 min reaction time, 0.30 A current density, a 1 cm inter-electrode distance, and the use of 4 electrodes with the mono-polar system in parallel. To further improve upon these results, the response surface methodology was applied using an experimental Box-Behnken design, with factors such as current intensity, inter-electrode distance, and transmembrane pressure considered. The results showed that the combination of EC and MF was highly effective in reducing color, turbidity, and COD, with removal percentages of 99.2261, 99.1856, and 98.5628% achieved. Furthermore, the method was highly effective in removing Azucryl red dye and poly black dye from colored wastewater, demonstrating its potential for use in treating textile wastewater effluent.