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Abstract
In the current study, aluminum electrodes have been employed in electrocoagulation (EC) to remove fluoride ions from groundwater. The effects of various operating process variables of EC, including pH, salt dosage, stirring speed, inter-electrode distance, and current density have been studied, as well as the operating cost and kinetics of the process. The most favorable values of the EC process parameters have been observed, which are effective for the removal of 97.6% fluoride, such as an initial value of pH 7.0, a current density value of 105.86 A/m2, an IED of 1 cm, a dose of salt of 0.33 g/L, a rotating speed of 700 RPM, and a time 40 min. The operating cost for the removal of fluoride (97.6% efficiency) from groundwater by EC was found to be 0.27 US$/m3. The effectiveness of the EC process in the removal of turbidity and TDS from different operating circumstances have also been investigated. First-order kinetics was observed in the kinetic study. The reaction rate constant k increases with CD increase, k decreases with IED increase, and k decreases with initial concentration increase. EDX analysis and FTIR spectra of the sludge confirm the availability of trace amounts of fluoride in the sludge produced. The EC process can effectively reduce the fluoride concentration from synthetic water as well as real groundwater up to below 1.5 mg/L as per WHO recommendations for drinking water.
Graphical Abstract
Disclosure statement
The authors certify that none of their known financial conflicts of interest or close personal ties might have appeared to have influenced the research presented in this study.