Optimizing Electrochemical Turbidity Removal from Water Using Response Surface Methodology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63746/njtd.v23i1.4095Keywords:
Electrocoagulation, Turbidity removal, Response surface methodology (RSM, Water treatment, Process optimization, Steel electrodes, Kaolinite.Abstract
Water turbidity, caused by suspended particulate matter, is a primary indicator of water quality and poses significant challenges for potable water production. This study investigates the optimization of the electrochemical coagulation (EC) process for removing kaolinite-induced turbidity from synthetic wastewater. By applying steel electrodes the impacts of 4 significant operational parameters (applied voltage (V), inter-electrode electrode distance (D), initial solution pH, and initial turbidity concentration (Co)) on turbidity removal efficiency were investigated carefully. The process was modeled and optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on a factorial design. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified that voltage, pH and their quadratic terms V², pH²), whereas the interaction between voltage and distance (V*D) as the most significant factors affecting turbidity removal (p < 0.05). The fitted quadratic model showed a high value of coefficient of determination (R² = 98.04%), indicating good predictive quality of the model. The model also estimated that the maximum turbidity removal of 98.9% was obtained under conditions of applied voltage of 25 V, electrode distance of 2 cm, pH (7 ± 1) and an initial turbidity value of 200 NTU. The results demonstrated that EC is an excellent process for turbidity reduction, and RSM is a powerful tool to optimize complex intersystem, multi-variable interactions associated with it, giving a strong basis for efficient design and operation of water treatment plants.
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