Treatment Of Wastewater From The Cleaning Circuits Of The Margarine Industry By Electrocoagulation/Flotation Process

This work aims to evaluate the applicability of electrocoagulation/flotation for the treatment of wastewater from the cleaning processes of the production line of the margarine industry. The electrochemical experiments were performed using plate aluminum electrodes (99% Al). The effects of pH, electrolysis time and current density were studied and discussed. Metal and energy consumption were also evaluated. Obtained results show that the removal of turbidity was up to 99.6% at pH 5.5. The reduction of chemical oxygen demand and total Kjeldahl nitrogen levels can reach 82%-86% and about 78%, respectively, at current densities greater than or equal to 62.5 A/m(2). The specific consumption of aluminum and energy was about 20.98 g/m(3) and 0.156 kWh/m(3), respectively when 0.05 A was applied for 15 min. Generally, the effluent treated by electrocoagulation/flotation becomes clear, clean and practically free from any visible pollutant especially when a current intensity of 0.05 A (62.5 A/m(2)) is applied. Treatment of margarine wastewater by electrocoagulation seems to be a plausible and promising solution because the process is fast, easily operated and leads to a final treated effluent of satisfactory quality.