Electrocoagulation is the process of destabilizing suspended, emulsified or
dissolved contaminants in an aqueous medium by introducing an electrical current
into the medium. The electrical current provides the electromotive force to
drive the chemical reactions. When reactions are driven or forced, the elements
or compounds will approach the most stable state. Generally, this state of
stability produces a solid that is either less colloidal and less emulsified (or
soluble) than the compound at equilibrium values. As this occurs, the
contaminants form hydrophobic entities that precipitate and can easily be
removed by a number of secondary separation techniques. Stated another way:
“[Electrocoagulation] utilizes direct current to cause sacrificial electrode
ions. to remove undesirable contaminants either by chemical reaction and
precipitation or by causing colloidal materials to coalesce and then be removed
by electrolytic flotation. The electrochemical system has proven to be able to
cope with a variety of wastewaters. These waters are paper pulp mill waste,
metal plating, tanneries, canning factories, steel mill effluent, slaughter
houses, chromate, lead and mercury laden effluents, as well as domestic sewage.
These wastewaters will be reduced to clear, clean, odorless and reusable water.
In most cases, more especially domestic sewage, the treated water effluent will
be better than the raw water from which it had originated.”4
In the Electrocoagulation process, the electrical current is introduced into
water via parallel plates constructed of various metals that are selected to
optimize the removal process. The two most common plate materials are iron and
aluminum. In accordance with Faraday’s Law, metal ions will be split off or
sacrificed into the liquid medium. ‘these metal ions tend to form metal oxides
that electromechanically attract to the contaminants that have been destabilized
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Electrocoagulation (EC), the passing of electrical current through water, has
proven very effective in the removal of contaminants from water.
Electrocoagulation systems have been in existence for many years (Dietrich,
patented 1906), using... more
