Wastewater disinfection by electrocoagulation process and its interaction with abiotic parameters

In this study, we evaluated the influence of abiotic factors and their interaction on the bactericidal effects of electrocoagulation. We followed the kinetics of bacterial density vs. time and some abiotic parameters such as pH, conductivity, turbidity, TSS, and COD, by setting the intensity of the current to 3 A using aluminum electrodes. To determine the effectiveness of the treatment, the behavior of bacteria towards the electric current was investigated by calculating the mortality rate (log 10) or bacterial survival (UFC mL−1) after treatment. The results show that the removal rate of the bacteria is 6 log 10 with a significant correlation (R2 = 0.98) by increasing the time. A strong correlation was observed with the pH increase which is R2 = 0.93. A positive correlation has been demonstrated with the elimination of bacterial biomass and COD and negative with TSS.