Abstract:
The main objective of this study is treatment and characterization of phosphorus from synthetic wastewater using
aluminum electrodes in the electrocoagulation process. EC experimental setups were designed and different
parameters were optimized. The maximum amounts of phosphorus removal efficiencies were observed at pH 7. The
phosphorus removal efficiency increases from 85.16 to 97.65% as the temperature increases from 15 to 45 °C, beyond
this temperature, there is small effect on removal efficiency. Pollutant removal efficiency increases with an increase in
the electrolysis time. At lower initial concentrations the removal efficiencies reached to their maximum values while
at the highest initial concentration, the phosphorus removal efficiency was decreased. The increase of current density
improves the efficiency of phosphorus removal. Energy and aluminum consumption decreases with increasing initial
concentration of phosphorus. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) image analysis demonstrated
very fine structures for aluminum hydroxide/oxyhydroxides and aluminum phosphate. The existence of the different
elemental composition in the sludge was proved by the help of Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXS), indicating
that the aluminum, oxygen and phosphorus were present in the product. From X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fouriertransform
infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman analyses of the sludge product, it is concluded that the chemical
speciation of the by-products can be mostly aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate.
