Fuzzy optimization for the remediation of saline oily wastewater through electrocoagulation: a multi-objective case analysis

An electrocoagulation treatment is implemented to eliminate the potential waste hazards derived from excessive amounts of total dissolved solids (TDS) and total suspended solids (TSS) prior to its disposal. The overall objective is to concurrently maximize the removal of TDS and TSS of the wastewater and minimize the total energy cost in the electrochemical process. A fuzzy optimization method is utilized to address this problem. This enables the integration of the two objectives to properly identify the satisfying solution and to determine the optimum variable conditions in terms of the reaction time (10–40 min) and applied current (0.5–2.0 A). This research work aims to develop an optimization model for the electrochemical treatment of oily wastewater. The model incorporates empirical equations to quantify the variables of the removal efficiencies. Additionally, the model considers the total costs associated with energy consumption and addresses the cumulative uncertainty of experimental runs. The ε-constraint method is employed to identify the Pareto front. A fuzzy optimization approach is employed to enable the simultaneous optimization of multiple objectives. By integrating these variables, the research seeks to improve the efficiency and cost of TDS and TSS removal in the electrochemical treatment process. The optimum solution achieved the reaction time and applied current of 40 min and 1.97 A, respectively. This attained an optimum removal (19.34 ± 0.99% for TDS) and (82.15 ± 0.88% for TSS), a total cost of 8.28 USD/m 3 , and a 95.22% overall degree of satisfaction.