Packaging paper wastewaters, stemming mainly from the dyeing sector of the production process (where printing inks are utilized), are characterized by large concentrations of organic matter, deep, strong color and almost zero biodegradability factor. These attributes, in combination with the presence of some toxic compounds (heavy metals, VOCs etc.) make further treatment necessary, before releasing the wastewater to the environment.
The present study deals with the treatment of these effluents using Electrocoagulation (EC). During the EC process, metallic species are electrochemically dissolved in the wastewater solution, resulting in coagulation, flocculation and subsequent separation of the pollutants via flotation or sedimentation. The efficiency of this method was evaluated, by examining the organic matter removal and decolorization of the wastewater under a wide range of operating parameters (current density, initial pH and electrode material). Moreover, the physical and chemical phenomena taking place during the process, as well its environmental footprint were investigated.
It was observed that this process is efficient under most of the operating conditions used, as the chemical oxygen demand removal ranged between 65 and 85 % and all the experiments managed high color removal, ranging between 98 - 100%. Additionally, secondary pollution was minimized, as concentrations of soluble metallic species remained below the regulated limits.
Session: 1, Room: A,
at Thu, 09/05/2019 - 10:15 to 10:30
Oral presentation in Wastewater treatment