Performance evaluation of electrocoagulation process using aluminum and titanium electrodes for removal of urea

In this research, the efficacy of electrocoagulation has been investigated as a potential treatment process for the removal of urea from synthetic and real wastewaters. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of the electrocoagulation process to remove urea using aluminum and titanium electrodes under varying conditions. The impact of electrode material type, electrode voltage, electrolyte type, and electrode spacing has been investigated. The maximum removal efficiencies for urea occurred after 90 min and its values were 59% at a 9 V for titanium and 40.16% at 12 V for the aluminum electrode. Comparative analysis of urea uptake by chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation has been conducted. The most efficient removal was observed using titanium electrodes and this comparison demonstrates that the urea removal efficiency when using the electrocoagulation process is superior to that which is obtained from conventional chemical techniques. The maximum urea removal efficiency using chemical coagulation at a coagulant dose equivalent to the amount of metal dissolution in electrocoagulation was 35%.