Concurrent arsenic, fluoride, and hydrated silica removal from deep well water by electrocoagulation: Comparison of sacrificial anodes (Al, Fe, and Al-Fe).

Some studies have reported the removal of As (As) and fluoride (F-) using different sacrificial anodes; however, they have been tested with a synthetic solution in a batch system without hydrated silica (SiO2) interaction. Due to the above, concurrent removal of As, F-, and SiO2 from natural deep well water was evaluated (initial concentration: 35.5 µg L-1 As, 1.1 mg L-1F-, 147 mg L-1 SiO2, pH 8.6, and conductivity 1024 µS cm-1), by electrocoagulation (EC) process in continuous mode comparing three different configurations of sacrificial anodes (Al, Fe, and Al-Fe). EC was performed in a new reactor equipped with a small flow distributor and turbulence promoter at the entrance of the first channel to homogenize the flow. The best removal was found at j = 5 mA cm-2 and u = 1.3 cm s-1, obtaining arsenic residual concentrations (CAs) of 1.33, 0.45, and 0.77 µg L-1, fluoride residual concentration ( [Formula: see text] ) of 0.221, 0.495, and 0.622 mg L-1, and hydrated silica residual concentration ( [Formula: see text] ) of 21, 34, and 56 mg L-1, with costs of approximately 0.304, 0.198, and 0.228 USD m-3 for the Al, Fe and Al-Fe anodes, respectively. Al anode outperforms Fe and Al-Fe anodes in concurrently removing As, F- and SiO2. The residual concentrations of As and F- complied with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) (As < 10 µg L-1 and F- < 1 mg L-1). The spectroscopic analyses of the Al, Fe, and Al-Fe aggregates showed the formation of aluminosilicates, iron oxyhydroxides and oxides, and calcium and sodium silicates involved in removing As, F-, and SiO2. It is concluded that Al would serve as the most suitable sacrificial anode.

Removal of fluoride and hydrated silica from underground water by electrocoagulation in a flow channel reactor.

This paper concerns simultaneous removal of fluoride and hydrated silica from groundwater (4.08 mg L-1 fluoride, 90 mg L-1 hydrated silica, 50 mg L-1 sulfate, 0.23 mg L-1 phosphate, pH 7.38 and 450 µS cm-1 conductivity) by electrocoagulation (EC), using an up-flow EC reactor, with a six-cell stack in a serpentine array, opened at the top of the cell to favor gas release. Aluminum plates were used as sacrificial electrodes. The effect of current density (4 ≤ j ≤ 7 mA cm-2) and mean linear flow rate (1.2 ≤ u ≤ 4.8 cm s-1), applied to the EC reactor, on the elimination of fluoride and hydrated silica was analyzed. The removal of fluoride followed the WHO guideline (<1.5 mg L-1), while the hydrated silica was abated at 7 mA cm-2 and 1.2 cm s-1, with energy consumption of 2.48 kWh m-3 and an overall operational cost of 0.441 USD m-3. Spectroscopic analyses of the flocs by XRD, XRF-EDS, SEM-EDS, and FTIR indicated that hydrated silica reacted with the coagulant forming aluminosilicates, and fluoride replaced a hydroxide from aluminum aggregates, while sulfates and phosphates were removed by adsorption process onto the flocs. The well-engineered EC reactor allowed the simultaneous removal of fluoride and hydrated silica.